The Official VAA book review thread.

[thunderstormgenesis]

Too lazy to review right now, maybe I'll come back and do so later. Some good books I've read are:
Finder by Emma Bull
Pendragon Series by DJ MacHale
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Fearless by Francine Pascal

[EnigmaticLoner]

Celena you can make an official thread ;3
*waves hand*
Now it is.

Re-read Dave Gormans Googlewack adventure, great stuff ^^


Woot! i saw the show live in Belfast earlier in the year... Fantastic show

[Ashley Keen]

Read a few books this weekend.

Title: Enders Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series (if Applicable): None
Number in Sequence (if Applicable): N/A
Summary:

Since Birth, the government has had their eye (litterally, in the form of a monitor) on Andrew "Ender" Wiggins to go off to their Battle School. While they previously had been interested in his Brother and Sister, both were rejected from the Program. Peter Wiggins was too violent and Valentine Wiggins too mild. Since they had proved so exceptional a special request was made of the Wiggins parents to have a third child in spite of the population control laws, making Ender a despized "Third." When Ender turns six, his monitor is removed and he is whisked away to Battle School in preparation to fight against the "Buggers" a group of aliens capable of intellegent though, but not speech, who had attacked earth seventy years ago. Ender is put through a rigorous training program, fights personal and very real battles and only at the end understands his real importance in the Bugger wars.

Writing: Overall, fairly good. A lot of profanity, which grated at me since Ender is really just a child in the book. Bits and pieces were better than others. Ender's experiences at home before he leaves seem shoddier than the rest, and the mind games he plays at school are quite well written.

Plot: Good! With a comclusive twist at the end. It moves rapidly and keeps Ender and the reader moving.

Kids?: Maybe some older kids. There's quite a bit of violence and non-sexual nudity. and some swearing.

[Ashley Keen]

Numbah Two:

Title: Shatterglass
Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Fantasy
Series (if Applicable): The Circle Opens
Number in Sequence (if Applicable): Four
Summary:
Trissana Chandler and her Instructor Niko Goldeneye have traveled away from Winding Circle Temple to a city with a strict caste system and a distictive fear of death. The prathmuni -- the lowest caste -- are considered cursed, since they handle the bodies of those who have died. The next case up are those who work in the Entertainment district -- singers, dancers, musicians, tumblers, and a few craftsmen. Triss enjoys watching glassmakers work and acidentally happens upon an untrained ambient glass mage, Kethlun Warder, -- uniquely though he has a huge amount of thunder in his magic, caused by a lightning strike that nearly killed him. As Triss teaches Kethlun his work slowly reveals the scenes of the death of women from the entertainment district. Triss, Niko, Kethlun and the lawkeeper assigned to the district ultimately end up working together to find the elusive killier nicknamed "The Ghost"

Writing: I've always loved Tamora Pierce's writing stlye. She writes how I talk. She's always an easy, fluid read.

Plot: Very Predictable. I mean VERY Predictable. Even for a Tamora Pierce work. I had worked out who the kiiller had to have been by the time the woman after the subplot was introduced. It's a fun read, but not very intellectually stimulating.

Kids?: Sure! As long as they're comfortable with the bounds between fantasy and reality. There is obviously death (usually strangulation) in the book but most of the deaths are not by major characters, any 8 or 9 year old with advanced reading abilities should find it a good read.

[Broken Angel Tima]

Title: Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Series: The Eternity Code, The Arctic Incident, The Seventh Dwarf
Number in Sequence: One
Summary: Artemis Fowl is the heir to his Father's great mansion in Ireland, and the many riches within. After a strange accident, his charismatic and well-reputed Father disappeared without a trace, and was declared legally dead.
With his ill Mother, Butler called Butler and the aid of Butler's little sister, Artemis delves into the world of "Fairies" upon discovering a book of their laws and ways.
A unique, incredibly intelligent, 12-year-old Anti-Hero, Artemis sets out to make himself a lot richer, but he wasn't accounting upon meeting Captian Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit.
Writing: Eoin Colfer's writing is fantastic because it's witty, funny and intelligent but done so in a way that people of all levels can understand it, especially children and teenagers. He mixes the modern world with fantasy and sci-fi in a way that really works, and he manages to create the most wonderful anti-hero through his descriptive work.
Plot: I adore the plot! You know the basics of what's happening at all times, but you never know what's going to go -wrong-, and plenty of things end up going wrong for the characters. There are also many twists and parts where you're just thinking, "My Gosh, what the hell is he up to..?" and it makes you keep reading.
Kids?: Definetly! Most people recommend 8+ because of some scenes of mild violence which are well-described but not in too much detail, and all-in-all is a children's book. But at almost 16, I love the series, especially the first book.

[Ashley Keen]

Title: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Author: Gregory Maguire
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series (if Applicable): N/A
Number in Sequence (if Applicable): N/A
Summary:
After fleeing England chased by an angry Mob. Plain Iris, Simple Ruth and their Take-Charge-of-Your-Destiny Mother, Meredethe, flee to Tulip-shares-era Holland. They expect to be able to turn to Meredethe's well-to-do father, but find that he and his wife have already passed away. The women are left on the streets of Haarlem to fend for themselves until they are taken in by a kindly painter for their services. The Painter has a fixation to paint the grotesque and the holy, but nothing in between. For him, the admittedly ugly Iris presents a challenge. His unflattering painting of her intriques a wealthy tulip investor with a young daughter and overbearing Hieress wife. And that's just the begining of things getting interesting. While Gregory Maguire's other novel Wicked and it's theatre adaptation are being raved about, this simple retelling of Cinderella sans all the magic that makes it a fairy tale deserves just as much credit for it's creative re-telling.

Writing: Excellent. The perfect balance of a rewarding light read and literary symbolism. The frame story is particularly appealing.

Plot: Excellent. After all, you can't go wrong with something tried and true, can you? But this re-telling embellishes it's characters with such rich detail, you'll forget you already know the ending to the story.

Kids?: Older children perhaps. I'd say 11 and up, While it is the adaptation of a fairy tale, other more human issues are adressed, and The Master's 'Gallery of God's Mistakes' is described in as much detail as the rest of the novel. Additionally, some passes are made at homosexuality and pregancy that will probably spoil the book for younger children. Or at least make it more difficult to understand. I had no qualms about handing it to my 14 year old sister, but I'd have trouble giving it to a nine year old.

[BorisHansen]

So far, no bad reviews. Conclusive evidence that books are good.

[Ashley Keen]

hehe, no one wants to take time to review a book they didn't like, I think. *grin*

[lirifox]

Title: Enders Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series (if Applicable): None
Number in Sequence (if Applicable): N/A

Kids?: Maybe some older kids. There's quite a bit of violence and non-sexual nudity. and some swearing.

I LOVE this book. It does have sequels, btw, and several at that. =3

Also, I read the book myself in about fourth grade, and I wasn't traumatized, so it's a good read even for kiddos. =3