Beauty-Robin McKinley

I've been meaning to read this book for a couple years now. I've really enjoyed most of McKinley's books, and only disliked a couple, so I knew I'd be in for a treat with this one. I wasn't disappointed.

This book was so well paced. It reads very easy, with no convoluted long sentences that I've found in other McKinley books. I liked that she stayed quite close to the original fairy tale in her adaptation. I also really liked the characters in this book. The fairy tale focuses on Beauty and her father, but this book made her sisters convincing and sympathetic characters, and I really enjoyed that. Occasionally Beauty's stubbornness was annoying, but this was very minor. It really was only annoying when she insisted how plain she was, even when others told her otherwise. However, I didn't find it realistic that she somehow had gotten pretty red hair by the end. Unless I'm mistaken, hair can't turn red from blonde. People have to be born with it. But that obviously is a very minor annoyance and I'm rambling now.

Overall, this is a great adaptation on the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. Well written and very enjoyable, it's one of my favourite McKinley books. 4 stars!

In the Forests of Serre-Patricia A. McKillip

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read a book by McKillip, but I think in the future I'll have to. I really loved her writing style in this book. It was languid and flowed well, like a dream or a fairy tale. I loved all the fairy tale elements in this book. I don't think I've read a book like this in a while. Her writing style is very well done, with an excellent choice of words. She knows what should be said and what doesn't need to be. I think the book ended well; the conflict was resolved, but I was left still wondering at what might happen to a couple of the characters. The little bit of wonder left at the end of this book was just perfect. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to lovers of fairy tales. 4 stars.

Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

This book surprised me. I felt it had a slow start, and it took me a while to get into it, but once the real story started, I really enjoyed it. This book didn't turn out anything like what I expected, and I really enjoyed that. I figured that it would be all about her time in California and less about her own world, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was a little bit confused about the time differences between the two worlds though. Andrea started the book at around 14 years old, but when she was in California, the equivalent age was 17. I was a bit confused because I figured her immaturity came from her young age, being 14, but that might not be the case. Nonetheless I found her character to be the most believable in the book. I really enjoyed the whole second half of this book. The author's writing is quite good, but I felt the dialogue was a bit awkward at times, simply because the characters occasionally used a word or phrase that didn't really fit with the medieval setting, but I was able to ignore that and focus on the story, which was intriguing. I felt that the language problems were brushed over a bit too easily as well, but I was also able to ignore that. I'd definitely recommend this to teens who enjoy an interesting book. 3 stars.

Happy Easter!

I'm home for Easter this weekend, with only one more exam to finish on Wednesday. I'm glad to be almost finished the school year! It'll mean many more books for me to read, which means more book reviews! Can't wait. Although the only thing about the summer I'm less enthusiastic about is the fact that I need to find a new job. I have no idea what to apply for. Maybe a job at the library. We'll see. Anyway, I'll have a new book review up within the next two weeks!

-Clairedelune

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Goodreads summary
As some of my past reviews have shown, I've loved some of McKinley's books, but disliked others. However, I really loved this book. Her description is just beautiful, and rather than making me lost, it brought me deeper into the world she's created here. She's really thought out the concept of pegasi, and her descriptions of their world make sense. I love the contribution she's made to pegasus mythology here. Although I got annoyed with the character a few times, her actions made sense. The writing of this book is really good, and I loved the story, however when I finished this book I found it was one of two books. McKinley normally doesn't write sequels, but this book will have a sequel sometime in the future. The downside to this was the point in which McKinley decided to end this book. I felt that it ended midscene, which created a really jarring effect when I was done. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot better if she had ended the book at a different point. It didn't make sense to me where it ended, and that was a disappointment to me. However, I really enjoyed the book, and I would recommend reading it if you can stand waiting for the sequel. Or better yet, wait until the sequel is out and then read both. I'm excited to see where she goes with the story, and I'll definitely be reading the sequel with it comes out. Overall, a rating of 4 stars, because of the ending.

Court Duel

The Goodreads summary for this book is very brief, but basically it's a sequel to Crown Duel, and is about a court following the removal of a corrupt ruler. I've been re-reading it over the past day, and it's really renewed my love for this book. It's wonderfully written, and it had me completely engrossed in the story. Sherwood Smith is excellent in her description of the world of this book. It seems very realistic, and the extra touches about court etiquette were really interesting. This book was great as a re-read, because I noticed so many little things that went right over my head the first time. The prose is well-written, and the dialogue doesn't sound forced at all. Unlike other books I've read where they try to use language to evoke a sense of the medieval, it felt natural. Also, I loved the romance in this book. Meliara is such a well-written character; she stays true to herself and is willing to admit her own faults. Overall, a great read, and highly recommended. I love this book so much that it kept me from studying for finals! I'd give it 4 stars.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Summary on Goodreads
After a long hiatus, I'm back, hopefully for good. I recently read Reckless, and loved it! It was everything I was wanting in a book: fairy tales, complex characters, adventure, and wonderful writing. I loved the new world Funke gives us here. I also really enjoyed the relationship between the two brothers! The pictures at the beginnings of every chapter were a bonus, but one chapter near the beginning really freaked me out because of them! All in all it was a good read, although I felt there were a few loose ends. I would recommend reading this if you're a fan of Funke and fairy tales. (Bonus alliteration!)