River Readers

More drama in the second book of the series. Hard to believe so much can happen to someone who hasn't even turned thirteen yet! Sadie's British wit is so much fun and Carter tries so hard to be the adult of the twosome. I think I would like my cat to become my guardian. Maybe I would find time to nap. I always laugh whenever the two dream and find themselves floating around with their heads on a chicken. Such an entertaining visual. It's easy to find the humor amid the drama.

This was an enjoyable audio for our trip to Dallas. The story was intense and the voices were done by a male, as Carter, and female, as Sadie. This added to the fun since Sadie was raised British and has an accent. Since they each encounter a romantic crush, the brother-sister teasing and drama gets lots of laughs too. Trying to remember who is who in Egyptian gods and pharaohs was a challenge, but got easier.

I enjoyed listening to this book. It's been a while since I read it with my son and saw the movie (which I don't recommend), so I had forgotten a lot of the details. It is a fun story with lots of action, new and old characters that continues to lead the listener towards a temporary conclusion. Knowing there are three more books in this series helped me to focus on who was who since the cast keeps growing.

This book was nothing like I expected. It was a different telling of the Sea Queen and sirens. Also the prince is a pirate and much happier that way. I found myself rooting for them to find the stone to destroy the evil queen and right many wrongs. I was pleased to find an ending that made sense and wasn't fairy-tale perfect either.

This was a very different take on the Peter Pan story. Tiger Lily was usually a minor character and here she gets her day in the sun. However, she also has a relationship with Tinkerbell that is very different from the one Peter and Tink are always shown having. This was sad, yet strangely satisfying too.

Xar is an self-centered younger brother, son to the Lead Wizard, whose wizarding powers haven't come in yet. Wish is a Warrior princess daughter of the Queen of Warriors, who struggles to be warrior-like. They live in opposing settlements, who long ago defeated and drove out the evil witches, but now these 2 factions battle each other. Wish and Xar will learn that witches still exist and they may need to help each other to survive the witches as well as their demanding parents. An enjoyable read.

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

Commoner Pomella has been invited to the trials to be the next High Mystic's apprentice. People are outraged that a commoner has been selected over a highborn, and the local royalty tell Pomella that if she goes to the trials she will be "unclaimed" or made a pariah. Pomella decides to risk it anyways.
A surprising twist ends this fun novel.

The children being cared for at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the children have traveled to different worlds and for some reason or other had to return. They spend their days trying to find their doors to their worlds again or trying to move on and exist in the "real" world. When the students start dying, it is up to the new girl, Nancy, and her new found friends to try to find out what is happening and why.

I liked this book a lot because it was a bit different. While the dysopian society is similar to others, I liked the idea of belonging to a passion. I'm not sure I would want that passion to decide my fate, but I guess in a way that is what choosing a career does - just not usually at seventeen. I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight, but the charts at the front were a good reference tool. I began to care for many of the characters and look forward to the next book to see how Brienna and the others fare.

Listening to this second book gave me new insights into my favorite series. I keep uncovering things I don't remember reading or have forgotten since watching the movies after reading the book. Jim Dale once again transports the listener back to Hogwarts and makes you feel such a part of the action. I can visualize the characters and the places with ease - even ones I had forgotten about. As always it was fun to rediscover Dobby, the Forbidden Forest and the beginning of Harry and Ginny's love.

This was not exactly what I was expecting. It was a much darker look at the fairy tales I love. While I enjoy a good fractured tale or a remake, this book had me looking at the stories in too much of a literal tunnel. The idea of Snow White being a 7-9 year old girl who "marries" the dwarves or the more pagan/Wiccan rituals that are suggested were not my cup of tea. I know Grimm's stories are much darker than Disney's, but that doesn't mean I enjoy looking at them through the eyes of a pedophile either.

This graphic novel was recommended by Kayla and I really enjoyed it. The story was done in a subtle fashion that didn't preach. The differences between Aster and the other boys was defined, however neither the girls or the boys seemed to know what to make of him. It took his elderly grandmother and a girl from the wrong neighborhood to help Aster discover who he truly is and how to accept the differences about him.

As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her...

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces.

Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the fire star.