A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart
Mary Stewart is best known for her Merlin-themed books (including The Crystal Cave), which are geared toward slightly older readers, but A Walk in Wolf Wood, (along with The Little Broomstick and Ludo and the Star Horse) are wonderful books to make accessible to younger readers. Told in clear, descriptive prose, with plenty of adventure and mystery, plus a few nuggets of wisdom, Stewart’s novels are a great addition to any child’s library.
July 11th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Mary Stewart | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
“If You’ve Got Darkness in Your Nature, You Might as Well Enjoy It…”
One of the beneficial side effects of the sudden surge in paranormal teen romance is that Lisa Jane Smith’s novels have been republished. They were essential reading material in my adolescence and getting the chance to reread them in my twenty-something-hood has been lots of fun. Supernatural creatures, love triangles, empowered heroines, a solid story, and clear narrative with just a hint of purple prose are the staple ingredients in any L.J.
June 25th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | L.J. Smith | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Coraline’s family has just moved into a new flat. Her parents are always busy with their own work and Coraline (please don’t call her Caroline) has no friends or siblings to play with. She spends her time exploring her new apartment complex and the surrounding grounds. She’s got some eccentric neighbors: two little old ladies who love to reminisce about their time on the stage and an old man who trains mice to sing and dance.
But what’s really strange is the extra door in Coraline’s flat.
June 23rd, 2010. Kat Hooper, Rebecca Fisher and Ryan Skardal´s rating: 5 | Neil Gaiman | BSFA Award, Children, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
The Witch of Lagg by Ann Pilling
Ann Pilling, who also goes by the alias Ann Cheatham or Lillian Cheatham, is an author with a great interest in taking historical events and folk-legends and bringing them into the present day. She has done this for the two other books concerning Oliver, Colin and Prill, Black Harvest and The Beggar’s Curse — with her three contemporary kids finding themselves caught up in the unquiet remnants of the past.
June 21st, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Ann Pilling | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Aerin cannot remember a time when she did not know the story. The tale of how her mother, a witchwoman from the north, had ensorcelled her father, the king, and bewitched him into marrying her so that she could bear a son to inherit the kingdom. When Aerin was born, her mother turned her face to the wall, and died of grief. Rejected by many of the royal court for her suspect lineage, and feared by the average person for the same reason, Aerin struggles to find her place in the court,
June 18th, 2010. Ruth Arnell, Rebecca Fisher, Tadiana Jones and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4.5 | Robin McKinley | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
THE MAGICIAN TRILOGY by Jenny Nimmo
The Magician Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo are some of the best children’s fantasy novels out there — and so inevitably they are virtually unknown. Set in the mountains of Wales, the books chronicle the experiences of Gwyn Griffith, a young boy magician dealing with the gift and burden of inheriting magical powers from his legendary ancestors. Before immediate comparisons are made with that other boy-wizard, rest assured that The Snow Spider was published several years before Harry Potter hit the scene.
June 18th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Jenny Nimmo | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit
Like most children’s fantasy adventures, The Enchanted Castle begins with several displaced children, removed from their usual situation due to unfortunate events, and finding their independence in new surroundings. In this case, Gerald, Jimmy and Kathleen find themselves staying at Kathleen’s school over the summer holidays in the care of her French teacher. But adventure is on the way, as soon they find a secret path into a beautiful garden where a young princess lies asleep in the centre of a hedge maze.
June 4th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Edith Nesbit | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Now famous for her ability to take old, familiar tales and present them through new perspectives, Donna Jo Napoli tackles the subject of Greek mythology and the captivating mermaids of the oceans.
The Sirens were long thought to be deadly women, either humanoid or bird-like, who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocks with their enticing songs. But Napoli presents the Grecian Sirens as mermaids — half-women, half-fish, a hybrid creature who are just as cursed as the men they destroy. Due to a spiteful nymph’s curse,
June 3rd, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Donna Jo Napoli | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
For readers who simply glance over the words and do no reading between the lines, Zel will simply read as a fleshed-out fairytale, in which the characters, settings and storylines are given more background and details. For those who take the time to read more luxuriously and deeply, they will find layer upon layer of meaning, symbolism, motivations and psychological breakdown that is simply intoxicating to discover. Underlying all of this is the concept of deep and powerful love, and its conflicting abilities to both nourish and destroy.
June 3rd, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Donna Jo Napoli | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip
Patricia McKillip’s latest novel takes us to the little fishing village of Sealey Head; tiny and inconsequential, and dominated by four influential families: the Cauleys (father and son innkeepers), the Blairs (a large family of merchants), the Sproules (rich farmers who have gained some degree of nobility) and the Aislinns (living in the crumbling manor house). Actually, there’s only one Aislinn now: old Lady Eglantyne, who lies dreaming in her bedchamber, waited on by a host of servants. The extensive cast of characters have interconnecting friendships,
June 1st, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Patricia McKillip | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I love it!
Almost as good as my friend: up-and-coming author Amber Merlini!
I don't know what kind of a writer he is, but Simon Raven got the best speculative-fiction-writing name ever!
[…] Its gotten great reviews from Publishers Weekly (starred review!), Kirkus, Locus, Booklist, Lithub, FantasyLiterature, and more. Some of whom…
The Changeling is everything you say it is Sandy. It is well-crafted and low-key in a way that lends considerable…