Book Reviews: Woodwalker

Hello, Creatures!

Okay, so today was supposed to be the review of The Last of August, and although the review is written, I have to consult with someone to make sure I'm not being too harsh. I mean, I don't want to make anyone who liked the book feel awful. So, instead, I am reviewing Woodwalker, by Emily B. Martin. By the way, sorry this post is up late.

Woodwalker is about a former Woodwalker, Mae, who has been exiled from her home. In the
Silverwood, Woodwalkers are the highest level of the Wood Guard (or Forest Guard? I can't remember.). When Mae suddenly comes across the monarchs of Lumen Lake, who were deposed when their country was annexed, she is offered wealth for one task: Get the royal siblings through the Silverwood. Risking execution, Mae, filled with longing for her home, accepts.

This book was a four star book. I loved it!

Pros:

I really enjoyed Mae's love of the Silverwood. I loved learning about the different plants and animals. I also loved the whole theme of the Light, and Mae's vigor in protecting it. I appreciated Mona's questioning, which made perfect sense, especially in her circumstances. The world Woodwalker takes place in is a wonderful world, one I wouldn't mind living in, and while each country is uniquely different, they all share the same wonder and base, the Light. I also loved the ending. I wish I could say more about the ending, but I really can't.

Cons:

This book has a slower beginning, and lots of traveling in the woods. I didn't mind this at all, but in a day and age where people are being conditioned more and more to see/read fast-paced movies/books all the time, I thought I'd better warn you. Also, Mae and the royal siblings fight quite a bit throughout the first main chunk, and I finally had to skip to the ending to make sure they got along eventually, because I so wanted them to. :) Then I proceeded to read the rest of the book. :)

I loved this book overall, and I loved the dynamic characters. I liked how they were all different, and all had unique perspectives. I also liked the pearl-diving and forest-protecting. I loved the Wood Guard's job, and I wish we could do the same thing in real life for all wildlife.

Have you read this book? What do you like about it?

Spruce Nogard

Attribution: https://www.amazon.com/Woodwalker-Creatures-Light-Book-1-ebook/dp/B017H7FUJO

Topic of the Month: Mythical Creatures

Hello, Friends!

This month, look for mythical creatures in the book you're reading. How does the author use mythical creatures? Are they made up, or already established?

What I mean is, in DragonSpell, by Donita K. Paul, Paul creates her own races: Doneels, Emerlindians, Kimens, Mariones, O'rants, Tumanhofers, and Urohms.

Tolkien, on the other hand, created some of his races, but used already established ones as well. Although he created hobbits, he used elves, but still changed the common perception of elves just enough to make them his own.

How do authors you're reading use mythical creatures? Post in the comments!

Spruce Nogard

Source: http://dragonkeeperchronicles.wikia.com/wiki/High_Races

Attributions: https://www.amazon.co.uk/DRAGONSPELL-Donita-Author-Paperback-Published/dp/B005IDRW46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498556579&sr=8-2&keywords=dragonspell+donita+k+paul

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Hobbit-There-Back-Again/0261102001/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498556755&sr=1-13&keywords=the+hobbit

 

Books: Favorites: Chalice

Hello, Friends!

Today, I'm going to tell you about Chalice, by Robin McKinley.

I just finished reading this book yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. The writing flows very well, and it's quite interesting because Chalice takes place in four parts, and although there are page breaks, there are no chapters. However, the page breaks separate the book into tidy sections, so it's not too much of a problem if you just want to read until a nice break before going to bed, etc.

Mirasol, the main character, is a woodskeeper, and her land and bees have been in her family for generations. One day, a neighbor gives her the news: the Master and Chalice have died in a fire. The demesne, which was already strained, is thrown into even more chaos, and a few weeks later, the Circle comes to tell Mirasol she is the new Chalice. Her head spinning, Mirasol must learn the duties of a Chalice, whose main job is to bind all parts of the Circle and the demesne together. At the same time, a new Master is put in place. To make matters even more difficult, the new Master is a Priest of Fire, and is not a normal human anymore. With threats all around her and the demanding task of healing a land that has been hurting too long, Mirasol must do what she can to save her people and her land.

An interesting aspect of this book was it's nonlinear storytelling. At first while I was reading, I kept second-guessing myself, and had to check that I had not accidentally started with the second book in a series. Although you don't get the traditional setup of the story right away, you do eventually get the beginning. The storytelling was unique from most books I have read, but it was unique in a good way.

I love Mirasol. Mirasol keeps bees, and a cottage, and I just love her home. I'm irrationally afraid of bees, but it was so nice to imagine having a bunch of soft, humming, little friends always around. I  enjoyed Mirasol's thoughts immensely, which is the primary way we learn information in the novel. It's hard to describe how the book reads without just reading it. :)

Not to mention, there's honey magic. Literally magic with honey. That was pretty awesome. :)

Also, is anyone else sick of reading pretty much any YA book and finding a good bit of romance in it? Because, I don't mind a little bit of romance, but I don't like a lot. And really, can't there just be stories where people don't care nearly as much about dating?

Chalice is such a relief in this sense, too. Although there is the slightest, slightest hint of romance, it's actually an interesting story about someone who does something other than fall in love.

Overall, I really enjoyed Chalice, and hope you do too! What are your favorite fantasy books?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/McKinley-Chalice-Reprint-Market-Paperback/dp/B00SB1PCQ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491683069&sr=8-2&keywords=chalice+robin+mckinley

Books: Favorites: (Extra Week Post): Uprooted Part Two

Hello, Friends.

Here is the second part two to the book review on Monday. If you have not read it, this post will make no sense. Click here to read it.

One thing I liked was the writing style. The way Novik writes, or the way Agnieszka talks, is a truly beautiful writing style. The word order isn't always the same as we talk normally, but it doesn't make the prose more confusing or awkward. Rather, it enhances the novel.

Another thing I liked was the back cover. The cover says a little more than my description, but it ends the way mine does. As I was reading the book, I thought: I have no idea what this book is actually going to be about. I mean this in the way that the back cover doesn't spoil anything. It's not like the back cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which basically says: Harry is a wizard, goes to a wizarding school, is famous, and has to protect the school from a mysterious object. The back cover of Uprooted is like if the back cover of Harry Potter went something like this: Harry lives with his horrible aunt and uncle and their son. As the school year approaches, Harry starts receiving mysterious letters, ones which his aunt and uncle are determined not to let him see. After his uncle temporarily moves their family to a run-down shack in the middle of the ocean to try to avoid the letters, a giant man shows up, finally forcing Harry's aunt and uncle to let him read the letter. In it, Harry discovers something wonderful, mysterious, and just a bit magical.

See what I mean? Okay, I know in some cases you would rather have the spoilers on the back cover, but this book is better because you don't know what's going to happen.

One thing I didn't like about Uprooted is it got inappropriate two or three times. While this was irritating, the parts are easy to skip. I would definitely still recommend the book.

The rest of this post is for people WHO HAVE READ Uprooted. If you are still reading this post and you have not read Uprooted, shame on you. Imagine me glaring at you.




Now, for the rest of you who have read the book, continue and enjoy. :)

I also enjoyed the way Novik describes and uses magic. It's a very unique way of looking at magic. On that note, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Agnieszka used her magic. The other thing with that is, although Agnieszka uses magic differently than everyone else, it wasn't the main point of the book. . . I don't know how to say this. It's the opposite of what happens with Alina and her powers in Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. That's the only way I know how to describe it.





Another thing I liked was the ending. I liked the way they defeated the Wood, and that whole part/message. I'm being very cryptic for the sake of the people who are still reading but have not read the book and therefore should feel extremely guilty.

Of course, I appreciated the allusions to Russian fairy tales. I mean, you must know how much I love fairy tales from this blog. :)

Finally, the book felt like something new, fresh, and original. I mean, yes, you could reduce it to archetypes, but you can reduce anything to archetypes, so that's not what I mean.

On a side note, I must have really missed writing this blog. I wrote 1,122 words for a book review, not including this paragraph. The maximum words for a blog post in order not to overwhelm readers/ get readers to still read your post is 500. Consequently and unfortunately, I'm going to have to split this into two sections. Sigh.

I loved this book, and will continue to love it. This is definitely one I will reread multiple times.

Enjoy your holiday and happy reading, Friends!

Spruce Nogard

Attributions:
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X 
https://www.amazon.com/Uprooted-Naomi-Novik/dp/0804179050 
https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Grisha-Trilogy-Leigh-Bardugo/dp/1250027438

Genre of the Month: High Fantasy

Hello, Friends!

This month's genre is High fantasy. High fantasy takes place in a world completely unrelated to our own, with no access to our world. This is unlike portal fantasy in that portal fantasy contains portals to completely different worlds.

Some books I have read that are high fantasy are: Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, The Hobbit, and The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (which I post about here.)

Christopher Paolini's Alagaesia is full of elves, dwarves, dragons, humans, well known fantasy creatures, as well as creatures he made up, like urgals.

Middle-earth is J.R.R Tolkien's amazing fantasy world, while the world in which The Enchanted Forest Chronicles take place is never named.

To learn more about types of fantasy, read Erin's post about fantasy here.

What books have you read that are high fantasy?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions:

https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-There-Back-Again/dp/061815082X