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Tag Archives: Book Review
New Lands Book Review
Since my book review of Deadweather and Sunrise, I’ve read the second installment of the Chronicles of Egg, New Lands. Author Geoff Rodkey continues his adventure with pirates, slavers and some pretty scary natives.
After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can’t decipher. But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg’s trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies—against which our heroes’ only weapons are their brains, their courage…and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue.
They’re going to need help. But who can they trust? Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke’s daughter Millicent on Egg’s side…or her father’s? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple? {Amazon}
With the last book, one of my kiddos got to it before me; this time two of them did. I had to work twice as hard to make sure they weren’t book spoilers! Now there are three of us anxious for the release of the third and final book in the series next year.
As Egg continues to face odd situations and challenges, he gets more confident and mature, as does Guts. Despite the strain of new friends and their unique talents, their friendship grows stronger. Millicent is as overbearing as ever, she also struggles with the realization that her father, Roger Pembroke, isn’t the hero she thinks he is.
New Lands was released about a month ago and is available in stores near you. I would like to thank Media Masters Publicity for sending me the ARC of this exciting book. Now, how do I get my hands on the next one?
Gathering Blue Book Review
Not only am I behind of my reading this year, I’m even more behind on my book reviews. I’ll try not to drown you with them all at once. (Although, I would be happy to get enough writing done to actually be able to do that!) Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry is actually the second book in the Giver series. I read The Giver and about five other books toward the end of the year that I didn’t write a book review, but I’ll start with the new year to catch up. I need to do something to make my feel like better.
This series is the dystopian series that seemed to start the current trend. The first book was released in 1993, while Gathering Blue was released in 2000.
Six years after The Giver, Lois Lowry ushered readers back into that mysterious but plausible futuristic world to tell the story of Kira, orphaned, physically flawed, and left with uncertain prospects. Like The Giver, Gathering Blue challenges readers to imagine what our world could become and how people could evolve. {Amazon}
For the first 50 pages, I kept waiting to for the characters from The Giver to show up. (They never did.) Instead we get to know Kira and her interesting community. It’s interesting how the town in The Giver and the one in Gathering Blue chose such different solutions to a major world catastrophe. The Giver’s community was very organized and sterile, where in Gathering Blue they were much more primitive and raw.
Kira doesn’t fit in because of her handicap and her kind heart. It’s a great lesson on the powerful influence one person can have on those around them.
If you’ve read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until then, I can’t wait to share my book review for the next book in the series, The Messenger.
Deadweather and Sunrise Book Review
I was excited to read Deadweather and Sunrise from the Chronicles of Egg series by Geoff Rodkey. I’m even more excited to share my book review of Mr. Rodkey’s debut novel, a middle grade adventure that will keep boys, girls and their moms riveted.
It’s tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody’s trying to kill you.
Not that Egg’s life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg’s father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg’s running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he’s been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy. {Amazon}
As excited as I was to read this high water adventure, one of my kiddos snagged it and read it first. The nerve of her! Taking advantage of my cooking and cleaning duties to steal my book. Needless to say we both enjoyed the book.
I love the main character Egg as he figures out life as it shifts unexpectedly from mundane to harrowing. He picks up an unpredictable one-handed friend, Guts along the way. I even like Milicent, even if she can be a little overbearing with her extreme confidence and leadership abilities.
Egg’s voice is lively and engaging as he tries to determine who he can trust in a land (and sea) crawling with pirates. The pace is great right up to the last few pages, with plenty of questions to be answered in the next book of the series – New Lands. It’s easy to see why it was voted Amazon Best Middle Grade Book of the Month in June 2012. I agree with Rick Riordan when he says its “Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of Tom Sawyer for good measure.”
The paperback edition was recently released and the sequel is coming in May. I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing that one too! A big thanks to Media Masters Publicity for providing a copy of the book for my family to fight over.
Posted in Books
Tagged Book Review, Deadweather and Sunrise, Geoff Rodkey, Middle Grade adventure, The Chronicles of Egg
2 Comments
The Perfect Christmas Book Review
I’m glad I had time to read a few Christmas books in December. I enjoy the Debbie Macomber movies I’ve seen and now for my book review of her Perfect Christmas!
What would make your Christmas perfect?For Cassie Beaumont, it’s meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing’s worked. Not blind dates, not the internet and certainly not leaving love to chance.
What other options are there? Well…she could hire a professional matchmaker. Simon Dodson has quite a reputation, but he’s very choosy about the clients he takes on—and very expensive. Cassie considers him a difficult, acerbic know-it-all, and she’s astonished when he accepts her as a client.
Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets this paragon. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell-ringer, dressing up as Santa’s elf at a mall and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (most of whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all—and then she’s finally ready to meet her match.
But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise! {Amazon}
I had an idea the end from the description, but Christmas stories is the one place I don’t mind. It was interesting to see the journey from point A to point B. I laughed as Cassie completed her tasks and faced unexpected trials. Even though I laughed throughout the book, there were plenty of tender and heart warming moments. I’d give it 4 slices!
