The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

Book: The Dark Hills Divide
Author: Patrick Carman
Series: The Land of Elyon
Reading Level: Middle-grade (I'd recommend for 5th to 7th)
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Content Rating: PG

Alexa is 12 years old when she travels with her father to Bridewell. She's lived her whole life behind the walls that protect the major cities from the mysterious and dangerous things in the Dark Hills. She's curious, though, about what lies beyond those walls. So when a chance presents itself to find out, she takes it. She learns about some sinister plots and a traitor in the city.  Soon she isn't sure who to trust. 

Well. I'm torn. I had really high hopes for this one. And while it doesn't have bad language or any obviously inappropriate content, there were things that really bug me about it. And I'm hesitant to give the go-ahead to my 8 year old at this point. For one thing, Alexa, the main character, does a lot of lying. She's very sneaky, and while this is practically required to further the story, it bugs me. I also found one of the characters very creepy. And yeah, he's supposed to be her nemesis, so he's written to be that way, but I felt uncomfortable with an adult character whose interactions with a child were what they are in the book, at least initially. The character's name doesn't do him any favors either. 

For me as a reader, the book also felt really unbelievable. I can let that go, though, as I'm obviously not the target audience. That said, I think there are many middle-grade reads that are well-developed and believable (even in the fantasy genre) even for adult readers. 

I did like the author's message about the walls we build and whether or not we should. 

In the end, I have decided we'll keep the book on our shelves and give it a couple years. This is strictly my feelings for my kids, and others may feel differently. 

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

 

Book: Defy the Night
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Audiobook Performers: Christopher Ragland and Lexie McDougal
Series: Defy the Night (Book 1 of 2 currently announced/published)
Reading Level: Young Adult
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13 for some language, steamy scenes, violence
Tidbit: In the Kingdom of Kandala, a sickness rages.  Tessa, an apprentice apothecary, tries to help the poorer people get the medicine they need amidst political turmoil.
Quote: "I keep my eyes fixed ahead, on the flickering torches of the arch, watching how embers fall in tiny bursts, defying the night before burning out in the water below."

Tessa is an apothecary's apprentice in The Wilds. Though officially she makes tinctures and salves for skin conditions and other such minor maladies; in her off time, she and her friend Wes are smuggling an elixir made from stolen moon flower petals to the less affluent people of Kandala so they can survive while a sickness rages. Ever since watching her parents die at the hand of the night patrol, she's loathed King Harriston and Prince Corrick, the King's Justice. 

Meanwhile, in the palace, King Harriston and Prince Corrick have problems of their own. With moon flowers not in abundant supply, they rely heavily on certain areas of the kingdom to provide the life-saving petals. Smugglers are starting to attack the supply trains, and the King and his Justice will have to make examples of any who are caught to send a message. 

This YA fantasy is well-done, and I enjoyed it. I generally love books with dual perspectives, and this one did not disappoint. I listened to the audio, which was read by two people. I'm not going to lie: when Christopher Ragland was reading the dialogue for Tessa, I kind of cringed and had a hard time taking it seriously. In that respect, I think I would have enjoyed the hard copy more. But the story itself was good and engaging. I'll definitely read the next one (the cover has been revealed for it, so I'm guessing it'll be out soon-ish). 

There is some language, a steam level below Twilight (and though the romance aspect definitely plays a part in the story, there's much more to the story than that), and some pretty descriptive violence for a YA (in my opinion), but far less than in the Ember in the Ashes series (which is a series I loved).

The Silver Chair -- C. S. Lewis

Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole are students at Experiment House, a place where many are bullied and bullies aren't punished. After a run-in with some of the school bullies, Jill Pole hides behind a building where no one can see her cry. But Eustace happens upon her, and they begin to talk of a place quite different than Experiment House. A place Eustace has visited before where animals talk and thinks are beautiful and full of hope. Longing to go to such a place and leave the unhappiness of Experiment House behind, Eustace and Jill begin pleading to go to the other world.

And somehow, they get there! They soon learn they have been summoned to Narnia by Aslan; for Aslan has a mission for them. They are to rescue Prince Rilian, son of the aged king Caspian. Rilian disappeared years before and no one has seen or heard from him since.

So, with the help of Puddleglum, a Marsh-wiggle, Jill and Eustace set off to fulfill their mission. But the journey is long and hard, and soon the children forget their mission -- thinking only of the comforts for which they long. Forgetting proves to be to their detriment, and they find themselves on the menu for some giants' feast, held captive underground, and enchanted by an evil queen. Soon they are unsure if they will ever succeed in finding Prince Rilian -- or if they'll ever see their world again.


*Cute. I like the parallels between the novel and Christian doctrines. Look forward to reading this with my children one day.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner -- Stephenie Meyer

The story begins with a known conclusion: Bree Tanner will die in the end.

Stephenie Meyer brings to life the character of Bree Tanner, who was first introduced in Eclipse as one of the newborn vampires. Told from the perspective of Bree, the reader becomes acquainted with Bree's story: her "creation" as a vampire, her fears, her experiences. Though "friends" are not plentiful in the vampire coven into which Bree has been inducted, she soon finds a kindred spirit in Diego, a vampire a bit older than herself. Together they discover things about their new selves... thing their leader never bothered to tell them. As they learn more and more, they become suspicious as to why they were created, and why Riley, their leader, is keeping them in the dark. As the days pass and the reason for their existence begins to take shape, Bree finds herself on a collision course with fate as she tries to rescue Diego so they can begin their vampire lives away from Riley and his newborns.

But it turns out nothing they'd been told was ever true. And Bree's second life ends prematurely.

Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? It all depends on perspective.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

On the day Harry turns 17 and becomes a legal adult in the Wizarding world, the protective spells his mother placed over his safe-haven will break and he will be vulnerable to the onslaught of the Death Eaters. So on the eve of his 17th birthday, the Order of the Phoenix arrives to sneak Harry out and to safety in an unknown -- at least to Voldemort and his followers -- location. But the Death Eaters were tipped off and prepared for Harry's escape, causing a mad scramble as he is whisked away to safety.

Thus begins what should have been Harry's final year at Hogwarts. The year that Harry does not return to Hogwarts, and neither do Ron and Hermoine. The three leave the safety of The Burrow to fulfill Dumbledore's final charge: destroy the remaining Horcruxes or Voldemort will never die.

Join Harry and his friends as they experience the most dangerous magic of their lives, and as Harry faces his destiny. Because neither can live while the other survives.

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians -- Brian Sanderson

Alcatraz Smedry is a foster child with a knack for breaking things. And he has just turned 13. On his 13th birthday, he received a gift from the father he never knew: a bag of sand. With the bag of sand (though a day late...) comes Alcatraz's grandfather who reveals to Alcatraz that the bag of sand was no ordinary bag of sand, but was rather sands that could be turned into powerful Oculators' lenses. Unfortuneately, but the time this new reaches Alcatraz, the sands have already been stolen from him by the Evil Librarians. Now it is up to Alcatraz, his grandfather, two cousins Alcatraz just met, and a Knight of Crystallia to retrieve the sands and thwart the Librarians' plans to keep everyone from knowing the truth! And through this adventure, Alcatraz will realize that some of the very things he thought were weaknesses are actually strengths.

Dracula -- Bram Stoker

As part of his job, Jonathan Harker finds himself journeying into Transylvania in order to deliver paperwork to Count Dracula, who has recently purchased property in England through Jonathan's employer. As he travels, he notes strange behaviors among the locals who learn of his destination, and he begins to feel on edge himself. He arrives at the castle of Count Dracula and finds himself in the midst of bizarre and horrible things, and he becomes convinced the Count is not a normal human being. He even finds the Count's lair -- a place rank with death and coffins. But before Jonathan, who is by now a prisoner at the castle, can discover more, the Count leaves the castle and Transylvania, leaving Jonathan to fend for himself.

Meanwhile, Mina -- Jonathan's fiancee -- vacations with her friend Lucy at the ocean in England. One strange day, a ship without a crew arrives in the harbor where they are staying, and soon strange events begin occurring there. After a night of sleepwalking, Lucy begins to act strangely -- becoming more and more pale by the day. And on her neck appear two puncture wounds. In spite of multiple blood transfusions to try to save her, Lucy succumbs to death. And by this time, Dr. Seward -- Lucy's friend -- has brought Dr. Van Helsing to see about events surrounding Lucy, her illness, and her death. And together they learn that Lucy had in fact become a vampire!

Jonathan eventually returns home to England and helps the rest of the group, for he too has intimate knowledge of vampires and Count Dracular in particular. Together, they discover the whole story of Count Dracula and set out to destroy him so as not to lose another soul as they had lost their dear Lucy.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- J. K. Rowling

At sixteen, Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts amidst chaos in both the wizarding and muggle (non-wizarding) communities. That the greatly feared evil wizard Lord Voldemort has returned is no longer a suspicion or a rumor, but is a known fact. Fear runs rampant as people are harmed and even killed. Despite these facts, Hogwarts opens for another yeark and Harry, Ron, and Hermoine return for their 6th year of schooling.

Classes are harder for everyone in their 6th year, but Harry finds help from the "Half-Blood Prince," a former Potions student who made generous and useful notes in Harry's borrowed Potions textbook. In addition to classes, has extra responsibilities, such as Quidditch team captain for the Griffendor House. Furthermore, he finds himself in private tutoring lessons with Professor Dumbledore, the school's headmaster. In time, Harry learns the beginnings of the evil Lord Voldemort and discovers a truth so horrible it almost seems impossible.

Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts is filled with mystery, frustration, love, loss, deceit, fear, and bravery. It is Harry's hardest year yet, and he will face horrors he never imagined.