Wishes and Sorrows by Cindy Lynn Speer

Note: I received a NetGalley free copy of “Wishes and Sorrows” by Cindy Lynn Speer in exchange for an honest review.

I still love fairy tale retellings but honestly I need to stop getting collections of short story fairy tales like this for one simple reason: when the stories are so short there’s really nothing all that new that can be said. It’s different when it’s a full book about one specific story because it means there’s a chance for the author to create a new background story, new information about the characters. That’s not really the case with 10-20 page stories.

There were a few segments that were more of an original idea/story than the others and while some of them were very interesting to read others were odd. I can’t remember the names of which ones stuck out but there were a few that just didn’t make sense at all, they were disjointed and kind of pointless. I understand the struggle of finding a balance between keeping a short story short and making an actual point because I’ve written some short stories myself but if you’re going to publish something in a collection I feel as though you should have to make it feel as though there was a reason for the story in the first place and some of these didn’t have that.

So out of the dozen or so stories there were maybe four really original ones, most of which didn’t make sense. The rest were more traditional and familiar, as though I’d read them before. And one story, the only one I really remember and enjoyed, was something I had read in a previous fairy tale collection. It’s called “Necklace of Rubies” and was a retelling of the story of Blackbeard. I especially loved this one because it was dark and creepy and it was based on a tale that wasn’t as common as some of the others.

From now on out I probably will not be requesting/reading fairy tale collections anymore just because, as I said earlier, the stories are too short to really offer anything new.

Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand

Note: I received a free copy of Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I chose Imitation, the story of Ven who is an Imitation/clone, of a privileged young woman because it reminded me of the movie The Island. And in a way it was very similar. There is a whole building, called Twig City, where the Imitations are shown footage of the Authentic they have been created to look like. They keep their figures in shape according to what their Authentic looks like and they know little of the outside world beyond what they must do to help their Authentic. That includes being around if their Authentic needs an organ transplant or if they need to stand in for their Authenics during dangerous situations.

The latter (going undercover) is the case for Ven, an Imitation of Raven Rogen, the daughter of a man very important to the science world. Only she finds that the world as she knows it is not what she expected when she realizes her best interests don't matter to most anyone and in fact, society as a whole,does not even see the Imitations as real people.

So, in the realm of most futuristic/slightly dystopian, a rebellion is spoken of and begun though not much more than basic planning is started in the first novel. That's why I gave it only three stars, because this is definitely not a stand alone novel in any sense of the term. The story isn't complete and I don't like that. Even if there are more books to come in a series there should be some type of resolution and Ven finding out more about the rebellion is not a good enough one.

One complaint though: in the clone training center they are shown some footage of their Authentic's lives. But they aren't allowed to really experience any of the stuff for themselves. How are you supposed to act natural when riding in cars and elevators or talking to boys when you've never done any of that? That does not make any sense!

But other than that I really liked the book and will likely buy the second one when it comes out next month.

The Thirteenth Tower by Sara Snider

Note: I received a NetGalley affiliated free copy of The Thirteenth Tower by Sara Snider earlier in the year (though I'm a little confused because even when I got it a few months ago it wouldn't have been an advanced copy and I'm used to having advanced copies but oh well, moving on).

I went into this book having read the blurb about it quite some time go. I remembered there was a female as a main character and that the story was about magic. What I had forgotten, and quickly found out while I was reading, was that The Thirteenth Tower was very much a "discovery of self" "coming of age" type of novel. Only coming of age with magic, which is always something I find interesting.

The story is about Emelyn, a supposedly orphaned housemaid from the village of Fallow. Throughout the story she travels far and wide and discovers quite a bit about herself, magic, and the world around her. And boy is it an interesting tale of travel.

I loved The Thirteenth Tower. The writing was tight and interesting. The characters were fairly well-developed and it kept me on my toes, especially as to what exactly a few of the characters were up to throughout the novel.

 And, even better, the story ended very nicely. It tied up enough strings to feel like a complete story but enough was left open that I could see Snider deciding to make it the first of a series if she so chose.

The only complaint I had was that some of the scenes with magic may have been handled a little better. I've read plenty of fantasy/magic stories and magic is something that can be hard to describe and that seemed like the case here. Descriptions of how the magic in this world works were long winded and slightly confusing. The magic battle at the end was VERY confusing.

But I still enjoyed what was going on. So as long as you're not afraid to be a little confused (because even if you do get confused, by the end of it you will know what happened) it's definitely a worthwhile read for fantasy fans.

Black Rose by Kris Thompson

Note: I received a free NetGalley copy of "Black Rose" by Kris Thompson in exchange for an honest review. And this review will get slightly spoilery.

I chose "Black Rose" to read especially for the Halloween season because it was creepy and horrifying. Not in an unbelievable "oh my gosh, vampires" kind of way but in a "this is something that could really happen. I mean look at the guy who kept the women hidden in Cleveland for years."

So if you aren't familiar with the Cleveland, Ohio man who abducted several women and stored them in a house for years this book definitely parallels that story. (Women held captive, raped with at least one pregnancy). Only in "Black Rose" Lillian, aka Lee, aka Lilly knows that the abductions are happening, she just doesn't think it could happen to her. And then it does.

Lee soon finds herself chained up in an underground room with nothing but a mattress and a bucket for human waste. Only she's not alone. The other missing girls are in rooms all around her and they share their stories. They were kidnapped months before and have faced various forms of torture including physical beatings, being lit by fire, and rapes.

The story flashes back and forth between Lee's perspective and that of her boyfriend Richard who is close to Lee's friends and family. He refuses to give up on his girlfriend until the end.

So content wise I both liked and did not like this. Of course it was kind of graphic (no overly gratuitous rape or torture scenes but descriptive enough to make me a little squeamish). And there were parts that I felt didn't make sense. As another reviewer mentioned, one of the first scenes where the captured girls talk they end up talking about sex even though they are being repeatedly raped. I'm not so sure that's believable but then again I have never been in, and hopefully never will be, in that kind of situation. So who knows.

I did like that the story went farther than I thought it would. I thought the book would end with the girls escaping. But instead it carried on through the escape, the hospital stays of the survivors, and the trial and verdict for the captor.

But even though I read it quickly, mostly because it was an easy read (not content wise but style wise) and because it was suspenseful enough that I wanted to know "what happens next" I wouldn't say I loved the book. Sure that might have something to do with the whole distastefulness of the situation but it was also because the characters didn't really come alive for me. Sure I rooted for Lee but I would have rooted for anyone in her position.

 So this is not on my top rated shelf. It just felt like so much more could have happened and that it could have been written better but it didn't and it wasn't.

And I'm going to complain about something else...something very spoilery. So here goes...

If you are abducted and raped and tortured and you knock your captor out (especially if you can't save all your fellow captive girls) why wouldn't you make absolute certain that the guy was dead?

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Note: I received a free advanced copy of “Wildlife” by Fiona Wood from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested “Wildlife”, a story about two teenage girls named Sibylla and Lou and their school term at an outdoor education program, I did not realize that it’s basically a sequel to another book that featured Lou. I actually didn’t realize that until now, over a week after I finished the book, when I happened to see that it was listed as ‘book 2’ on Goodreads.

Now I know that sometimes it doesn’t really seem to matter whether or not you’ve read the first book and I doubt it would have changed “Wildlife” all that much for me but I think it might have helped enough for me to rate this a bit higher.

I enjoyed the duel perspectives, the naïve Sibylla and Lou who had experienced so much (most likely in the first book I’m guessing) although at first I didn’t pick up on the whole multiple narrator thing and was very confused. Which was probably pretty stupid of me since some chapters were written in diary form while others were just first person but since narrator names weren’t mentioned for a few pages I got lost.

What I did like about the story was that some parts of it were very realistic. Lou’s depression was understandable and I liked that she merely isolated herself and observed instead of behaving more erratically like fictional characters often seem to do. But where I liked Lou I found Sibylla very flip floppy. Sometimes she had some great common sense and observations while other times, whenever her best friend and her new boyfriend were involved, she was horribly naïve.

All in all it wasn’t a bad story but it wasn’t really all that amazing either. Not much happened and I didn’t get pulled into the characters as much as I have in other books though I did like bits and pieces of the character’s personalities.

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Salt & Storm in exchange for an honest review.

Salt & Storm was the story of the Roes, specifically Avery Roe, who belongs to a family of witches who keep Prince Island safe with their magic.

For hundreds of years the Roe family passed the magic from daughter to daughter, using it to help the whalers who populate the island they live on. Their magic comes with the cost of pain and a life span and a shortened life span. Most of the witches in the family line took up the mantle but Avery’s mother chose not to, leaving her aging mother to care for her daughter until her circumstances change. That’s how the story starts.

The majority of the story seemed to revolve around the relationships between Avery, her mother and her mother’s mother as well as the Roe family’s relationship to island. Avery makes it very clear that she wants to be the Roe witch but it’s not long into the story that she has a dream that reveals that her own death is imminent so she tries to find a way to prevent it from happening. That way ends up involving a boy.

Although I liked it well enough this book was not all that memorable. I’m finally writing this review about a week after I finished it and I’m struggling to remember all the details. From what I can remember my favorite part of the story was the history of the Roe family. It was kind of neat to read about what powers the other women had and so on.

And the major thing that bothered me was that there wasn’t really much of a resolution. The question of Avery’s imminent fate was answered but certain relationships weren’t resolved. I expected more and didn’t find it.

Sway by Kat Spears

“Sway” by Kat Spears is, if we’re taking it down to a bare bones comparison, a retelling of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. The main character is Jesse, a high school student with connections and pull with many different people (you call him when you want drugs or alcohol, if you want a fundraiser to be successful, if you’re the principal and you want a trouble student out of your hair). So when popular kid Ken Foster offers him two hundred dollars to help him get a date with the nice, beautiful Bridget, Jesse agrees. What Jesse doesn’t expect is that by getting to know Bridget he’d end up falling in love with her as well.

I ended up really liking this book mostly because the high school that was featured wasn’t one of those stereotypical schools that only exist in fiction. I mean, how often do we end up reading stories or watching movies where all the kids get along and nobody drinks or ever does anything wrong?

Well these characters were real and they were raw. Jesse deals drugs but has a conscious about it (he warns his new friend, who is Bridget’s brother, that he shouldn’t rely on drugs to feel good at parties). Bridget is a good girl who likes to volunteer her time but also likes to go out at night. All the characters show a full range of emotions and are snarky and annoying at times and loveable at others. It was nice to see a less idealistic version of high school and high school students.

My only issue with the book is exactly how many different things Jesse had a hand in. Drug deals, fake ID’s, friends with DJ’s and cheerleaders and bowling alley owners and he’s not even a senior in high school? At one point he even has the principal coming to him for help which seemed to me like it was a little bit of “movie magic” so to speak (suspension of disbelief).  But all in all I liked it and will be following Kat Spear’s career.  

Rant: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Beware! There will be spoilers for Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

This isn't exactly a typical book review, it's more of a rant/complaint in a way.

Okay, okay, I'll admit that I didn't start paying attention until the Hunger Games series until they decided to make it into a movie. But once I started I felt like I caught on fire! I whipped through that book series in a little less than three weeks and, like I almost always do when I've read a book or series that I feel strongly about one way or another, I went into the book reviews and message boards on Goodreads to see what others were saying about certain plot points.

Boy was I surprised when I looked at the one about Mockingjay! Let's go through the list of things many people found fault with and why their negative opinions were a little unfounded. Because honestly I think some of the people complaining must not have read the same book I did.

1: People who thought Katniss was annoying and mopey.

We all read the first two books in the series, right? By Mockingjay Katniss is only seventeen but yet she's been thrown into two Hunger Games, she's unwillingly killed a slew of people because it was a killed or be killed situations, and she's been made a symbol of the rebellion even though she doesn't want to be. She was, in a way, responsible for the annihilation of her entire district through her actions in the second Hunger Games. She is broken and suffering post-tramautic stress disorder and yet I saw tons of reviews where people thought she shouldn't have been moping, freaking out, or fighting against being made "the Mockingjay." What?! She's been through so much and yet you don't think she deserves freak out time?

2: People who think the deaths of Finnick and/or Prim shouldn't have happened or were upset because the characters didn't take the time to grieve.

Mockingjay was set during a rebellion, during a war. In war people die completely insensible deaths. There is no time to mourn when it happens. Yes after Finnick's death they ended up camped out in the clothing store that same night but guess what? They still had to focus on staying alive the next day so it only makes sense that Katniss would be thinking about her choice between Peeta and Gale (something she'll only have to think about if they all survive) and thinking of Finnick and death. Personally I'd rather think of life.

And Prim's death. Although I liked Prim, she was a sweet girl, her death was necessary. Without it Katniss would not have taken a stand against Coin. And, what with the vote Coin had them make on having another Hunger Games, we can only assume that Coin would have been a horrible leader as well. Which leads me to my final point of contention.

3: People who thought Katniss voted for another Hunger Games and meant it.

The surviving victors were given a choice of whether or  not to hold a Hunger Games with the Capitol children. This is after Katniss has already started to wonder what kind of person Coin is and it makes her realize how much of a tyrant Coin could be. The main clues are when she wonders if Haymitch will understand what she's doing (meaning her yes doesn't just mean yes) and when she says "yes, for Prim" (there is no way Prim would want the deaths of more children). That, to me, meant one thing: Katniss wanted to get revenge for Prim and so she says something that will ensure that she will be next to Coin and holding a weapon at what was supposed to be Snow's execution. She said yes not because she wanted another Hunger Games but because she wanted to take out Coin.

And that's part of the reason why I shouldn't read reviews, sometimes I just get way into them and can actually feel myself getting mad. Maybe it's part of being an English major, being trained to look deeper into things as I read.

The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Note: I received an ARC of “The House of the Four Winds” by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First I’m going to share a little story. I don’t remember when it was for sure but a few years back I stumbled upon a paperback copy of “The Fairy Godmother” by Mercedes Lackey. Even though I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy fiction since even before reading “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in the late 1990’s I hadn’t read of Mercedes Lackey. But I read “The Fairy Godmother”, absolutely loved it, and made that I got my hands on the rest of the Tales of the 500 Kingdom books that have published so far.

This is what that series has taught me to expect of Mercedes Lackey: action, adventure, and kick ass heroines. Three great qualities in books of any genre. So when I was browsing NetGalley and saw the first book of a new series, one that promised to feature even more powerful female characters (what with a series title of One Dozen Daughters) I was intrigued. Then I started the book and I was captivated.

“The House of the Four Winds” starts out in Swansgaard, a small kingdom with too many daughters to afford their dowries. This means that once the girls turn eighteen they are free to venture out on their owns and make their own fortunes. The first book starts with Clarice, an accomplished swordswoman, deciding to take a ship to the New World. There she meets a motley crew of seamen, including the dashing Dominick. But the thing is, Clarice is masquerading as Clarence Swann, a wealthy gentleman.

The plot runs quickly with a normal sea journey turning into a story of mutiny, pirates, treasure, and then romance enters the scene. The characters were lively and well written and the intrigue was great. There was even some humor thrown in!

So, even though I have a feeling that the next novels in the series won’t be following Clarice (I am hoping there will be mentions of marriages, children, etc.) since there are eleven other daughters to follow the lives of, I will still be looking forward to getting my hands on the books.

Recommended for anyone who has read and enjoyed Mercedes Lackey books, likes fantasy and strong female characters.

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

Note: I received an advanced copy of “Suffer the Children” from NetGalley but although I did get the Kindle version the title was deleted from my NetGalley dashboard so I won’t be able to post the review on their website. Not sure what happened there but oops.

Now on to the actual review and what a bumpy ride it was!

If you want to take it down to bare bones “Suffer the Children” is a vampire/zombie book but it’s so much more than that. The premise is that after being introduced to several different characters (a couple with two children, a single mother who sometimes resents her son, and a pediatrician with a rough family life) an event happen. That event becomes known as Herod’s Syndrome and results in the death of every child (I believe the designation was that they hadn’t hit puberty yet), even those who are in utero. But then the kids come back and not only do they just wake up but they rise out of their graves in order to do it.

(Side note: the only plot point that really bothered me. Herod’s Syndrome isn’t really explained enough. Yes it only effects the children and it’s said to be something in their DNA or something that got triggered but what exactly was the trigger? It just happens in one place and within a day it’s spread across the rest of the globe. There was nothing that supposedly set it off or anything).

Creepy, huh? But that’s just the beginning because what happens next, or I suppose it just gets more heightened, is the psychological drama. And now I’m going to get a little spoilery. Or maybe a lot spoilery.

Even though I’m not a parent this story bothered me (and it definitely makes me wonder how I’d see this story if I did have children of my own), only in a good way because it made me think and wonder and kind of freak out along with all the characters in the story. Because this is what happens: kids die and the parents mourn, a few days later the kids crawl out of their graves and return home, they spend a few days or hours or something all happy and then the kids suddenly die again. Then, in the middle of the night, they let their parents know exactly what they want with shrieks and moans asking for blood.

Sounds a little cheesy but in the heat of the story it’s actually kind of terrifying, especially once the parents realize that they don’t produce enough blood to keep their children alive for long. That means they have to try different methods because for each time their children die they decompose more and more so they can’t exactly just wait until their own blood supplies replenish. Some parents just try and get as many friends and family members to help out as they can. Others turn to more nefarious methods including murder and prostitution.

And that’s when the division between different types of parents becomes even more obvious because with each time they arise they become more animalistic, more like the traditional stereotypical “vampire”, i.e. increased strength, single-minded want for blood. Some parents want to just let their children go while others decide they’d rather die themselves than do that.

Then the ending that I loved and hated at the same time. I was half afraid it would all be wrapped up in a neat little bow with the fake blood serum being made and distributed and the majority of the characters making it out alive but it did not, boy did it not! There was death and murder and an epilogue where creepy vampire children are roaming the streets and methodically killing everyone with a heartbeat. And while it was a great ending I was also really curious to know more. Would the children really manage to kill everyone? If not would any more children be able to be born what with the whole fact that the disease killed even unborn ones? I just have so many questions!

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore

Note: I received a free copy of "Just Like the Movies" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And this review will contain spoilers because the only thing keeping me from giving this book a higher review would be the ending.

"Just Like the Movies" by Kelly Fiore was certainly exactly what the title and the brief blurb would lead you to expect: a story that reads exactly like how a romantic comedy would play out on the screen. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like cheesy romantic comedies, which I do. But, unfortunately, there wasn't necessarily anymore substance than there is in a 90 minute movie.

The gist of the story is that, after a series of random events, the studious and underappreciated Lily and the track star with the hot boyfriend, Marijke end up forging a friendship after running away from a viewing of Titanic. You see Lily has an unrequited crush on a boy who doesn't even really know she exists while Marijke's boyfriend is wanted by every hot blooded female in the school and he seems to like that. So the two girls decide on a plan, to recreate scenes from popular romantic comedies and use them to get Lily's crush to notice her and to get Marijke's boyfriend to finally return those three little words.

One thing I was glad of with this book, the fact that I had watched all but one of the movies they mentioned (and that was one I'd seen recreated on other shows). The references were probably enough that it would have taken away from my enjoyment of the book if I hadn't seen them so that might be a deterrent to some readers. To appeal to more readers perhaps the movie tropes could have been used but without mention of specific titles and movie characters? That way it would have been a need little inside joke if you knew the movie but you wouldn't feel excluded if you hadn't. There are plenty of romantic comedy situations that are used over and over again and would have gotten the same points across.

I figured with the title of the movie and the plot that there would be happily ever afters for both couples involved but I was honestly hoping for something else. The turn around of Lily's love interest was too quick and she accepted it to easily. Marijke and her boyfriends relationship bothered me the whole way through because, as she cited when she finally did break up with him, their love was unequal. She was basically obsessed with him (which rubbed me the wrong way...shouldn't we have more stories where the relationship is healthy?) while he didn't seem to care much for her, only when she got mad and he needed to apologize. I was glad when they broke up and she was able to become her own person. But then they, of course, got back together right before prom. Just in time to be named prom king and queen. Sigh.

I had hoped, and would have given more stars, if the book had broken some of the whole romantic comedy plot lines. By the middle of it I was hoping Lily and Marijke would realize the guys were holding them back and they'd decide to go to prom together, as friends and be very happy with their decision. But that didn't happen and the book became one big, girl depends on guy cliche.

But it was cute and it was a quick read so all in all I did enjoy it.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling

The main reason I read this book is because I found out that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for JK Rowling and I was hoping for a better reading experience than the one I had with “The Casual Vacancy” a few months back. I thought perhaps the reason I did not like “The Casual Vacancy” was because of the plotline because I honestly wouldn’t have even tried to read it had it had another author name attached. But “The Cuckoo’s Calling” did sound fairly interesting even before I knew it was a Rowling book.

But now I’m afraid I have to admit that, at least in regards to her currently published books, I don’t like JK Rowling for anything but Harry Potter. There, I said it. Now please don’t attack me. (And yes I am smart enough not to have expected her adult books to be like Harry Potter so I’m not judging it based just on that. I’m judging the book purely on its own merit and not because I’m comparing it to one of my favorite series). Now that that’s out of the way let’s get into the meat of my issues.

“The Cuckoo’s Calling” is the first book in a series about the private investigator Cormoran Strike who is struggling to find and keep cases. Then he is approached by John Bristow who wants Strike to investigate the supposed suicide of his famous sister Lula Landry. (Side note: about two thirds of the way into the book we find out Lula is called “Cuckoo” by the clothing designer that made her famous therefore referencing the title. Honestly if the title was going to be referenced at all I wish it would have mentioned earlier on in the book but I digress).

So Strike, along with his temporary secretary Robin, start an investigation to see if Lula really did kill herself or if there was foul play involved. And the story and plotline was at least interesting enough that I was curious to figure out the answer myself but getting there was kind of a chore. There was too much description in some places, as in paragraph upon paragraph of useless information just for a character to get from one scene to another when it honestly didn’t matter. And then I felt like I was lacking some descriptions in the scenes that really mattered. It was frustrating.

And then the book finally started to bring me in when I was about seventy percent of the way through with it which is the only factor that redeemed it for me. That was the point when I really started to care about the mystery and the people involved because that’s when I felt like I knew them. I understand that it takes time for a reader to become familiar with new characters but damn, more than halfway through a book is not when you want your reader to start feeling it.

At the end of it the book ended up being both very predictable and not so much. The true story behind what happened to Lula Landry was not what I had expected though several theories had run across my mind during the telling of it (because Rowling set up several characters to be very suspicious and at the top of any readers suspect list). And, something that I don’t really feel is a spoiler because it was obvious and because the blurbs about the second book in the series mention it, the temporary secretary of course ends up sticking around to the end.

So all in all “The Cuckoo’s Calling” was not one of my favorite books of the year, I didn’t find it very memorable, and I doubt I’ll bother reading any of the other books in the Comoran Strike series though I may surprise myself someday.

The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville

I want to start this review by telling you a little story. When I was in elementary and middle school I absolutely loved book fairs even though I was teased by some of my fellow classmates for how many books I would buy. One of those books (I even still have the copy with the special stamp mark designating it a book fair purchase) was “Into the Land of the Unicorns” by Bruce Coville. I remember reading it over and over again though I didn’t have the rest of the series nor did I try to find them to borrow. Not until this year.

Yep, at age twenty six I walked through the library I work at and checked out the four books of a series targeted for an Amazon specified age range of eight to twelve. But was I ashamed? No, not at all because I was darn curious to know how the epic story ended. And although I could tell by the wording, etc. of the story that it was targeted to a much younger audience, I still enjoyed the story.

So here’s a brief synopsis. The Unicorn Chronicles is a four book saga about, of course, unicorns. And since I’m reviewing the series as a whole and not the individual books I’m going to let you in on a few little details that weren’t discovered until later on. The history goes that the unicorns used to live on Earth but then humans learned that their horns had magical healing powers and decided to hunt them so they could take their horns and use the magic for themselves.

Then a misunderstanding between a girl named Beloved, a unicorn, and her father led to an accident that caused the unicorn and the girl’s father to die and the girl to be in a perpetual state of injury and healing so that she could never die. This leads to a vendetta between Beloved and the unicorns and the unicorns are hunted so badly that in order to survive they must escape to a new world named Luster.

Years later a young girl named Cara and her grandmother are being chased by a man, a Hunter descended from Beloved. So Cara, using the amulet her grandmother gives her, is transported to Luster. Throughout the course of the four books of the saga Cara meets not only unicorns but dragons, centaurs, trolls, and various other magical creatures.

How the story was laid out was very interesting, with events in earlier books coming almost full circle in a way, in later books. Each book had a major event/problem that needed to be solved so my interest was kept throughout (instead of just feeling like you’re focusing on the main event that takes forever to be resolved).

One thing I was surprised at: the violence. It was never anything too gory, at least not to a well seasoned mature reader, but I could see where it could be a bit too much for an eight or ten year old. For example, during the final battle a woman grabs an arrow and uses it to stab a man in the throat and kill him. A young boy uses a knife to slash open a Hunter’s hamstring. Many unicorns, men, and other creatures are killed with depictions of their blood streaming onto the ground. 

But violence aside I did enjoy the series and I am very glad I finally got around to finishing it!

The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville

I want to start this review by telling you a little story. When I was in elementary and middle school I absolutely loved book fairs even though I was teased by some of my fellow classmates for how many books I would buy. One of those books (I even still have the copy with the special stamp mark designating it a book fair purchase) was “Into the Land of the Unicorns” by Bruce Coville. I remember reading it over and over again though I didn’t have the rest of the series nor did I try to find them to borrow. Not until this year.

Yep, at age twenty six I walked through the library I work at and checked out the four books of a series targeted for an Amazon specified age range of eight to twelve. But was I ashamed? No, not at all because I was darn curious to know how the epic story ended. And although I could tell by the wording, etc. of the story that it was targeted to a much younger audience, I still enjoyed the story.

So here’s a brief synopsis. The Unicorn Chronicles is a four book saga about, of course, unicorns. And since I’m reviewing the series as a whole and not the individual books I’m going to let you in on a few little details that weren’t discovered until later on. The history goes that the unicorns used to live on Earth but then humans learned that their horns had magical healing powers and decided to hunt them so they could take their horns and use the magic for themselves.

Then a misunderstanding between a girl named Beloved, a unicorn, and her father led to an accident that caused the unicorn and the girl’s father to die and the girl to be in a perpetual state of injury and healing so that she could never die. This leads to a vendetta between Beloved and the unicorns and the unicorns are hunted so badly that in order to survive they must escape to a new world named Luster.

Years later a young girl named Cara and her grandmother are being chased by a man, a Hunter descended from Beloved. So Cara, using the amulet her grandmother gives her, is transported to Luster. Throughout the course of the four books of the saga Cara meets not only unicorns but dragons, centaurs, trolls, and various other magical creatures.

How the story was laid out was very interesting, with events in earlier books coming almost full circle in a way, in later books. Each book had a major event/problem that needed to be solved so my interest was kept throughout (instead of just feeling like you’re focusing on the main event that takes forever to be resolved).

One thing I was surprised at: the violence. It was never anything too gory, at least not to a well seasoned mature reader, but I could see where it could be a bit too much for an eight or ten year old. For example, during the final battle a woman grabs an arrow and uses it to stab a man in the throat and kill him. A young boy uses a knife to slash open a Hunter’s hamstring. Many unicorns, men, and other creatures are killed with depictions of their blood streaming onto the ground. 

But violence aside I did enjoy the series and I am very glad I finally got around to finishing it!