Science Fiction Fantasy Books

You folks have read the publishers review so I am not going to repeat it. My opinions of the three stories are as follows: A Less Perfect Union is what Star Trek would look like if it were Babylon 5. The Enterprise crew is an amalgamation of both TOS pilot episode crews. It feels like Strangers From the Sky by Bonnano. If you liked that book, you will like this story. The second story was not so good. I just didn't buy the argument that the Voyager crew would be allowed such high access in the Coalition Military. Chapter 12 is brilliant, though. It gives a glimpse of fighting a war in several realities at once. That chapter made me think of Coming of the Quantum Cats by Pohl. I liked that the third story did not come off as brutal as the Mirror Universe stories. I like that only a few of the familiar characters are present. That shows the effect of temporal drift. I didn't buy the argument that most people could trace lineage to the original supermen. That smacks of inbreeding. The story also makes a reference to Strangers From the Sky and it also brings in the son of John Christopher. I can just imagine the war that would be fought if a permanent gate formed between Dark Mirror Universe and this universe.

I hope that sales are good enough to warrant publishing a lot more of these anthologies. This one is a fun read.

WOW! I love this "alternate uni" bit! Writing this when only half way through the book. That is how GOOD this is. I have been collecting/reading every pocket ST title since the mid 80's, and this is by FAR the best thing to come along in ages. Tight charactrization,and a muy cool mishmash of different senarios ST style. I see another one of these next month. If it is as good as this one,I can't wait.Check it out, you won't be dissapointed!

Last year, six short novels exploring some of our favorite character's Mirror Universe counterparts were published in two volumes. While I thought the consistency of the novels was greatly uneven, the format's success has allowed the publishers of Star Trek fiction to develop similar projects, and this summer two more volumes of short novels are being released, this time each being created in some sort of altered reality we as an audience have never seen before. The first volume of Myriad Universes includes entries from Christopher L. Bennett, James Swallow, and my friend Bill Leisner.

Leisner's A Less Perfect Union comes first, and explores a universe in the era of TOS had the Terra Prime movement a hundred years before succeeded and aliens had been banished from Earth. By setting his point of divergence so far in the past, characters like Kirk and Pike noticeably different than the ones we know. Yet their biases and personalities make them feel that they are essentially the people we know, only transformed by the context of their universe. Despite the ease with which the human Starfleet after Terra Prime could have been characterized as ruthless and bigoted, Leisner goes the other route and shows humans at different stages of dealing with the bigotry endorsed by their society and striving to move past it. I felt the resolution for one of the main characters was a bit pat, and at times I felt the author overindulged in showing counterparts of less well known characters, but in the end I felt Leisner succeeded in what I imagine his objectives were: tell an entertaining and interesting story, while also contrasting and connecting this new universe with the one we know so well.

In contrast Places of Exile seems to me to be quite its predecessor's opposite. The point of divergence here is set in the middle of an episode of Voyager, making the differences between the characters very slight. A different approach, yet it doesn't seem to work as well. For instance, it seems to me unlikely that the mere death of a couple of key crewmembers would have sent others on such destructive paths. The crew manages to forge an alliance with others after becoming stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Bennett's major weakness as a writer is in creating characters who speak and act like real people. His tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and are too quick to profess their feelings or accept the feelings of others. No one would respond as well to the brush off Kes gives a boyfriend as this one does; those undergoing `epiphanies' about love rarely emerge with decisions well formed, never to be changed. And those having sex for therapeutic purposes are almost never aware at the time that it is the case. It's as though the author has based these relationships on poorly written television shows, and this failure to make characters believable makes it difficult for a reader to really care about what happens to them. As always, Bennett does a good job with explaining away some of the scientific questions the series left with us, the poor characterization leaves this novel a little short. This is becoming a recurring problem with Bennett's work, and recent reviews of a newer novel don't leave much hope that he is adapting. It's a shame because he does have some real talent.

James Swallow sets the breaking point of Seeds of Dissent during the Eugenics Wars, where Khan emerges victorious and a band of non-enhanced humans board the sleeper ship Botany Bay. The story takes place in 2376, aboard the warship of Princeps Julian Bashir. He encounters the Botany Bay so there is friction on that front, throw in a plot about rebels and it isn't hard to se how the story will play out. The three-pronged nature of the plot lets Swallow avoid the basic good v. evil stance we see in a lot of these types of stories, but it was all too clear halfway through how things would have to proceed to get to the conclusion any intelligent reader could see coming. There are some nice twists, but I can't help thinking that the opposite ending might have been more effective. I also wish that Swallow had spent more time contextualizing the broader universe in which his characters reside. Of the three novels, I would only really want to see another story in this universe.

Taken as a whole, the collection is almost certainly worth your while, with only one truly weak story among the three. Of course, if you aren't one to seek verisimilitude in Star Trek books, you might end up liking that one best.

Star Trek: Myriad Universes - 'Infinity's Prism' is an ambitious project that's been in the works for years. This is the 'what if' series of novellas exploring all the avenues and paths not taken in the various Star Trek series and movies. The question is, does "Myriad Universes" please the audiences or does it fall victim to being over-the-top, glorified fan fiction? For me, was by far one of the stronger anthologies and mini series put out in the past few years. Usually, there is one story included that feels far weaker and unworthy of print and makes me regret purchasing the book. That wasn't the case with "Myriad Universes: Infinity's Prism". It has some minor flaws that keep it from being perfect but in all, it's a wonderful work of fiction that definitely makes you wish the shows had been willing to take these bold chances and directions with plots and characters.

You'll enjoy how each story tends to capture the spirit of the original series. Each story, to me, comes with a lesson or moral that the writer is putting out for the audience to pick-up on. I was beside myself with the greatness of 'A Less Than Perfect Union'. This story is a blend of Star Trek: Enterprise and the Original Series. This was your classic original series episode with a twist; what would have happened if Starfleet and the Star Trek universe had not been as open minded and in turn was xenophobic? An elderly T'Pol (seen on the cover) is the last surviving member of Archer's Enterprise and through her, we see the alternate history of Enterprise and Pike/Kirk dealing with an Earth that isn't so great. The last novel, 'Seeds of Dissent' takes on a similar theme of exploring the question of 'who writes the history?' as Khan manages to reign over Earth and a rather interesting group of people threaten Khan's legacy and force a genetically enhanced Bashir to re-evaluate the past. Both of these stories, for me, were on the epic scale and a fun read with an actual lesson.

What you may not like is the quick-pace of many of the stories. While it worked for "A Less Than Perfect Union" and "Seeds of Dissent", it didn't work as well for "Places of Exile". The Voyager story came off as the most fan-fiction of the novellas. This was more like a different take or spoof of "Year of Hell" as there are few lessons to be learned and this was just pure entertainment. It wasn't bad but by the end, the story felt rather forced and cheesey. I also felt that even with this being a 'different view' of Star Trek: Voyager, the characters felt very off and unbelievable. This problem also arises in 'Seeds in Dissent' as Kira and Dukat, as well as Bashir, aren't really given any foundation and read as if they are rather plain and stiff, if not over-the-top.

In all, a good read. Yes, there is a fan-fic lining to some of the stories but that's to be expected. What made 'Infinity's Prism' such a good read was that it accomplished the goal of exploring some interesting 'what if' situations in Trek and as you're reading it, your mind begins to run wild with your own ideas of other stories that could be told. I liked that some stories, such as "A Less Than Perfect Union" weren't just entertaining - it was thought provoking and a great allegory to modern times. I enjoyed the 'dark' theme seen in 'Deep Space Nine' running throughout "Seeds of Dissent" which features a host of DS9 characters. Definitely worth your time and money.

All three stories in this collection were enjoyable, and I read it in a day and a half. Of the three, my favorite was the Voyager story, "Places of Exile." The characterizations are spot-on, and in my opinion, the developments that take place for each of the characters (the ones who make it, anyway) are more interesting and fulfilling than what actually happened on the show.

The other two stories are equally good, but are much more reference-heavy (especially "Seeds of Dissent"; make sure you've read Greg Cox's Khan books and seen "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (TOS), "11:59" (VOY), and "Future's End" (VOY)) and the casual fan may not get it. Still, great stories.

I like the whole Myriad Universe idea, especially now that the Mirror Universe stuff is about at mined-out as it can be. Good read, can't wait for the sequel next month.

ok i know i sound confusing but hear me out.
this book was confusing in the fact that the time shifts were not real clear, and kept shifting back and foward with no warning to the reader.
The story line was` a good one though and if you can stick with it, you'll like it.
I just wish the author was a little more mature in the thought process of her plots.

I rarely find authors who really grip me from first to last in a book. Most fizzle out with a strong opening that steadily goes downhill, or a nice ending to an otherwise blah book. The Cassandra Palmer series is the exception. All of the books start strong and stay that way throughout, making for a very enjoyable read. I really liked the first in the series and was happy to see that the sequel had all of my favorite characters back and in better form than ever. Love Billy, Cassie's crazy ghost sidekick, and of course, Mircea the master vampire. Pritkin is even starting to grow on me, which was a surprise. I have Embrace the Night in my tbr pile and will shortly be getting to it as I really want to know where this series is going.

I read the first in the series (Touched by Dark) when it first came out in 2006, and I remember liking it, but not what it was about. Chance did a great job revisiting the first story without it being redundant or obvious. This was a great paranormal romance. It has the tension of possibility but doesn't focus only on that. The story has action out the wazoo with the heroine being on the run at the same time chasing down her own ghost and trying to save lives. I like the fact that even though she has the power to kill, she doesn't devalue life and chooses not to kill. Even those who seem deserving. I'm looking forward to reading the third.

The second book in the Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance is full of crazy drama and great paranormal characters.

Cassie is on a major tear to find and punish Tony, the vampire that ruined her family years ago. With her new powers as Pythia, although not fully realized, Cassie is even more a target for the shady elements of paranormal society than usual and trouble is never far from poor Cassie. Within the first few pages Cassie (and her new friends the Three Fates) practically destroy a casino and almost get captured/killed by the Silver Circle.

Her one ally in this book is Pritkin, the slightly trigger-happy war mage of the Silver Circle. Pritkin helps Cassie as she travels through time in an attempt to save Mircea, the vampire who protected her throughout her youth, from Myra, the sybil who had been heir to the Pythia before falling in with Rasputin. Without Mircea protecting Cassie from Tony, Cassie's not sure she'd have made it to adulthood -- not to mention a flood of other possible changes in their timeline. To protect the timeline as well as herself Cassie has to save Mircea at least twice in the past.

This wouldn't be a major problem except for the geas that was placed on Cassie by Mircea that draws them together - and keeps other men away. Since Cassie has the geas in the present but Mircea doesn't have it in the past seeing Cassie there unintentionally casts the geas back onto Mircea. By the time Cassie sees Mircea again in the present the geas has practically crippled Mircea with the need to be near her - it's physically painful to both of them to stay away.

To add to the drama, the power of the Pythia wants to fully exert it's office over Cassie and to do that it has been making every man seem like a delicious dish. She first realizes this when she is absolutely attracted to Pritkin (lol). Cassie does assume the full office of Pythia with Tomas, which I wanted to happen in the first book early on but not so much by the second book.

I liked this second book much better than the first because the characters were already established and the plot could just move forward. Cassie's life is hectic and dangerous and Cassie does not want the power of the Pythia which means she's perfect for the job. I can't wait for the next book.

I love this book. Karen Chance has great ideas and such. I love her characters. But in some parts of this book, I had to re-read because it's was confusing. It seemed bundled together.
But overrall... Great novel. I recommmend it.

Styx was only just more interesting than Dante in book 1. But there was a lot more that could have been done with this...it did not deliver based on his build up in book #2. This did not deliver like that book did with Viper and Shay.

This was kinda flat against expectations..for him to be such a serious awesome warrior and the king of vampires, it felt like the soda was flat in the bottle.


On a scale 1 to 5, Five is Best:

Villian: 3.2
Plot: 3
Creativity: 2.9
Uniqueness: 3
Humor: 0
Bringing the sexy: 2.7
Passion: 2 stars
Laughs & Amusement factor: 0
Silly Whiners who get on your nerves: 0
Lazy Author repeating too much prior chapters:0

Last year I stumbled across this author by a friend loaning me her book. Wow. I've loved the two first books in this series. Ivy can actually combine humor (I actually laugh out loud once in awhile) with suspense. This book did not disappoint. I hope she continues this series, at least until it is no longer fresh. I love her style of writing.

I love all of this author's books. I can't wait for the next Guardians of Eternity book!

Great book.. Keeps you reading so you can see what is going to happen in the end..can't wait for the next Guardians of Eternity book to come out.

Styx is an ancient warrior who has proven himself to be the baddest of the bad as far as the vampire community goes. However, it takes only one maybe human female to bring him to his knees. After reading Embrace the Darkness, I wasn't too sure if Styx had what it takes to make a good vampire hero. Ms. Ivy outdid herself with his story, though I wish we had more information on his life prior to become a vampire. This is the first time that I have read about a vampire from the Aztec nation, with his adversary being a Italian werewolf here to acquire Darcy for himself. Darcy is a wonderful woman who even though she doesn't know who or what her parents were, shines as the heroine. Now, I wonder how long it will be before we see the next book in the series? We can only wait.

Happy Reading.

NIMH is a great book for young readers (11-13). The book is a great story about survival, sacrifice, and challenged me to root for a mob of rats.

Mrs. Frisby is a very sympathetic character that shows that regardless of species in literature, moms are moms, and they'll do whatever it takes to take care of their family.

I think that young readers will enjoy this book, but older teenage readers could balk at the subject rather wanting to read something more intuned to their interests.

The cover art shipping now (July '08) is the beige one in the alternate images -- a useless and dull cover compared with the exciting view of Mrs. Frisby and the crow Jeremy against blue on display at this page. I wish I'd bought this in a bookstore instead, and might have had another choice of cover art. At least the interior art is the excellent classic version.

I've read this book over and over again since I was a kid and it continues to be one of my favorites.

O'Brien, who frequents the sci-fi-esque world, has totally translated it into a surprisingly belieavable world dominated by rats, crows, and other critters of the woodland. Fused with this is the concept of... lab rats, held in captivity by the very real National Institute of Mental Health.

Simply put, this is a story about a widowed mother mouse who needs to help her family. It's charming and exciting enough, but it all becomes deeper as she involves herself with the one group that can help her--The Rats of NIHM.

Here the story becomes a stunning fantasy and a close look at how people (vermin or human) act and think. In some ways it's a social commentry, but first and foremost it is just an incredible story.

What a fabulous story! This is truly a book for animal lovers of all ages.

I'm not sure why I got it, but Mom got me a comic book trade paperback of "The Secret of NIMH" when I was a kid. Later, my aunt got me "Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH, but I didn't really get started into it. I saw "The Secret of NIMH" for sale at my store a while ago, and decide to read the book instead. What a joy!

First, I love rats. I used to have eight of them. Why I didn't give them a NIMH name, I don't know, didn't think of it. The rats of NIMH are a small stretch. Rats are smart, charming, social animals, each with their own personality traits and a lot of fun to watch.

And the story is charming and fun, appealing to the child and the adult in me. It has a real sense of discovery, achievement, adventure, and worldview.

Mrs. Frisby is a widowed field mouse with a big problem. Her youngest son is very ill, but Farmer Fitzgibbons is getting ready to plow his fields soon, and she must leave her home. Contemplating her problem, she meets a crow who advises her to consult an owl, who in turn sends her to the rats under the rosebush. When the rats realize they have a common bond, they agree to help her.

The mysterious rats, years ago, escaped from a lab that injected them with drugs that greatly extended their lives and dramatically increased their intelligence. The rats resettled into the rosebush, and are preparing to move again. A schism has arisen in their ranks. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frisby still needs help.

After reading, I may give the movie another go. I haven't seen it in almost 15 years.

Septimus Heap, book 3.

Septimus is kidnapped by 500 year old physician Marcellus Pye and taken back in time. Marcellus needs Septimus (the seventh son of a seventh son) to help him turn his potion of everlasting life into a potion for everlasting youth.

Princess Jenna, joined by Nicko and Snorri, searches for Septimus. They are determined to bring Septimus back to his own time. Meanwhile, Queen Etheldredda, the ghost of Marcellus's mother, is released from an enchanted portrait by Silas Heap. She is determined to kill Jenna as she killed her daughters. She plans to rule the castle forever.

Angie Sage keeps the Septimus Heap series going strong with Physik - the third book after Magyk and Flyte. In Physik we have a complex web of plot elements (no spoilers in this review) that take the narrative deep into the history and architecture of the castle and deeper into a an increasingly sophisticated magical realm. There's more about the forms and uses of magyk in this title, and less focus on the weird creatures of this place. Nothing is lost. The central trope is magnetically compelling and there is action and danger and new fabulous characters. The Septimus Heap world keeps getting deeper and weirder with each new title in the series - yet the stories remain page turning romps that don't give kids nightmares. Sage treads the line between thrilling action and stuff that's too scary for kids with brilliant sensitivity. As an adult I don't get the feeling she's condescending - yet I have no qualms giving this to my second grader. He devours these Septimus books with gusto and is well ahead of me in the series.

If you read Magyk and Flyte you'll definitely be reading this on your way to Queste - so it's not vital that I tell you that Physik rocks. It's probably the best title in the series so far.

Although I didn't like Septimus being away from Marcia, Mr. Pyke did teach him alot while Septimus was the apprentice! Great read!

This book is the reason I can't wait for Queste-the fourth book in the series.

I definately did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first one, after I quickly finished the second book in the series, I began to read Physik and I was very, very disappointed. The characters were not interesting in the least and the plot was a bit muddled. It wasn't until I got to the end when I got really interested. The ending is amazing and exciting but everything else is just okay. But if you enjoy fantasy then this is perfect for you, like I said, the other books are very good.

This is my child and my favorite book.
Is the cutest history we have read, after 'where is pup' that is for younger kids.
I am here in amazon just to find some more titles from the authors.

We purchased this book for our 4-year-old son, and it became an instant family favorite! The way the book moves, the rhyming, the adorable and colorful pictures, the message of friendship...everything about it comes together to form the perfect Halloween book! It has become a tradition in our home to read this book at the first sign of Fall, and it will be a tradition that carries on through our other children as well. I highly recommend buying this for any child that loves Halloween! A must have!

I LOVE reading this book to my kids.

Julia Donaldson works her magic again. In this book we meet a growing cast of instantly likable characters who become friends and end up sticking together to fight off a baddie.

The story is so beautifully written it feels like I'm singing when I read it, and my kids are not the only ones who, despite the fact we have read it countless times, still travel the full emotional road along which this story leads us.

This book is so much fun to read! Both my kids love it, but my 3 year old especially.
It's a cute story, with a little adventure and a fun ending, and the pictures are adorable. My kids where never scared, even though the main character is a witch. (she smiles all the time)
I definitely recommnend it.

My son loves this book so much, we wore out the first copy to the point that it was beyond me being able to tape the binding back together anymore. We bought him a second copy that has been "loved" as much as the first, and so we had to buy a third copy for my toddler so she had her own book that didn't have pages falling out while we were reading it. At one point, I had all the words in the book memorized, which came in handy while we awaited the arrival of our replacement book. At first glance, it may seem that this is a Halloween book. Let me assure you, you will enjoy reading this book all year long (I believe that my son asked to have this read to him every night for about 6 months) and the verse never gets tiresome. The story teaches children about compassion and the need to help others, despite the fact that you may not really be in the best position to help at the time it is needed most. Random acts of kindness by the witch thoughout the book are rewarded at the end of it when her friends save her from a fire-breathing dragon, and in return, she builds an even better broom to house her friends as a way of saying thank you. It teaches kids how important it is to be nice to everybody, and to be ready to lend a helping hand, because you never know when you might need a little help yourself.

I had low expectations for this book, but once I got into to it, it is a pretty good read. Clearly the start of a new series from him, with lots of possibilities in the future books.

A fun read for a light weekend.

If you are a David Weber fan you will love this book.
If you aren't a fan you will still love this book!
I have already ordered the next book.

This book reads a lot like heirs of empire, but I think it is a worth while read. i enjoyed it.

I literally devoured this book over a weekend. I thought the premise was unique enough to grab my attention and the characters really popped off the pages. That in particular is the reason I read Weber. Being a stand-alone, it's not quite as daunting to pick up "Reef" as it is one of the Honor Harrington or War God books and it is still a good example of Webers writing.

/Off Armageddon Reef/ contains a patchwork of previous themes in other books by David Weber. The Terran Federation comes from his /Starfire/ collaborations with Steve White, the alien menace that wipes out humanity and the one world which it misses is from his /Fifth Imperium/ (Dahak?), the method of FTL world spanning religion come from the /Honorverse/ and the artificial repressive religion also comes from /Starfire/.

The plot is this: Nimue Alban of the Terran Federation Navy makes less than a thousand years after she died against the Gbaba in a final stand to protect Earth. She's on Safehold, a planet that the TF's Operation Ark settled so that humanity can rise back up and destroy the Gbaba, however the colony's administrators created a false repressive religion in order to stagnate all thought and innovation. Nimue wakes up as a PICA, a cybernetic avatar that holds consciousness during the middle of the 9th Century of God. Nimue begins her quest to revive humanity's spirit from its shackles by aiding the Kingdom of Charis (after a quick sex change for her PICA due to women being of a lesser status on the feudal Safehold) as 'Merlin Athrawes', saving Crown Prince Cayleb from an assassination attempt by the ruler of neighboring Emerald, Nahrmahn. To disguise his truly superhuman powers, 'Merlin' is called a /seijin/ a kinda mystic warrior-monk. To help the rather innovative maritime Charis against Mother Church 'Merlin' introduces new innovations for ships and weapons allowing Charis which already controls the seas of Safehold (Charis is rather similar to the British Empire and China, economically since all of Safehold relies on it goods) to repel an attempt by the Church's corrupt puppet masters, the 'Group of Four' to destroy Charis.

People who haven't read any of the series mentioned above will probably see this book as very original, admittedly some of it is, like the PICA, which bothers me, if the Federation could make these, why didn't they make copies of their greatest admirals or scientists? Since Weber doesn't use the PICA except as a way for the heroine (another Weber staple) to be able to save Safehold from stagnation I choose to believe PICAs to be extremely hard to make. Despite the corrupt self-serving Church that the colony administrators set up and made themselves 'Archangels' /Off Armageddon Reef/ is not anti-religious or anti-Catholic even if the equivalent of the Protestants/Lutherans are the good guys unlike Eric Flint's /1632/. Several members of the laity (both 'good' and 'bad') speak of not the Church being corrupt, but the /men/ running it to be corrupt. The naval battles were a nice break after Weber's /Honor Harrington/ space operas. Another plus is that Nimue/Merlin isn't in love with Old Earth tacticians unlike many other of Weber's characters. There is one scene with that's kinda awkward funny involving 'Merlin' in a rugby (which on Safehold is nothing like Terran rugby, it's played in the water and the players are all naked) game, PICAs are literally fully functional and 'Merlin' still has Nimue's arousal by buff naked men, so 'he' has to keep the towel around 'his' waist until he can shut off the arousal feature.

For those just starting Weber, this will most likely seem very good, those have read all his other works will most likely feel a nagging sense of deja vu. Maybe I'm just a romantic, but I enjoy reading about civilization pulling itself back up from crushing defeat. Despite its faults /Off Armageddon Reef/ was enjoyable for me and I'm looking forward to reading /By Schism Rent Asunder/.

Blue Bloods starts out with Schulyer Van Alen, a teenage girl at a ridiculously rich school in New York. Schulyer's father died before she was born and her mother has been in a coma since just a few weeks after she was born leaving her stately (and slightly intimidating) grandmother to raise her. Schulyer's only real friend is Oliver and they feel like the Outcasts of Duchesne High School.

As the story progresses we see many other characters from their own point of view. We see Jack & Mimi Force, twins and Blue Bloods. We get some of their previous life memories, their personalities and quirks etc. Many of the chapters start with diary entries that date back to the days of Plymouth and Roanoke Island. Little by little we learn that Schulyer and many of the other students at Duchesne are vampires, "Blue Bloods," for the way their veins pattern through their skin and the glow of their blood when the lights are out. We find out that the Blue Bloods are fallen angels trying to get back into heaven through the guidance of the two archangels that voluntarily became vampires to help them find their way back (Gabrielle & Michael). We also learn that nothing can kill the Blue Bloods, except another Blue Blood by drinking them completely dry. Those vampires that suck the blood of others are true devils and go crazy with the additional memories of the one they sucked dry. They are called Silver Bloods for the way the additional blood shows in their veins and the silver slits of their eyes.

Finally, near the end we learn that Schulyer is not one of the vampires that has been around for forever (one of the Four Hundred). Her mother (the angel Gabrielle, or Gabriel) had a child by a Red Blood, a human, and so Schulyer is a new soul. There is also a prophecy that said the child of Gabrielle would save the Blue Bloods. As of yet we don't know if she will be instrumental in saving them from the Silver Bloods or getting them back into heaven or maybe both. We do know that Schulyer is unusually gifted in that she can sometimes control the minds of humans and has a bloodhound as an angel protector.

The book is a little bit confusing because the information changes very fast sometimes. At one point Jack and Schulyer are dancing at one of the highschool formal dances and they share a memory which is confusing since as a new soul, Schulyer should not HAVE memories. Jack waves it off later as he was projecting his memory onto her but I don't think that is necessarily the case.

It was very obvious from the beginning that this book would only be the first of several since it seemed to take a long time for the action to get started. I started to get near the end of the pages with no end to the action in sight. As with many other books that are serial, I think I'm going to have to wait until I've read the second or third book to decide whether the series as a whole is worth it.

I read the book cover-to-cover, and found it pretty easy to get through.

However, an easy read doesn't make for a good read. Throughout the entire novel I got the feeling that the author was trying to make young female readers wish they were rich and famous, and young male readers horny.

I loved the background of the vampires. An old myth revitalized.

The storyline was okay. Good enough for three stars. However, I found the character horridly put together. Maybe I just don't like high schoolers. If you don't have a problem with teenage drama to the extreme (with vampire-esque creatures thrown in) pick this book up.

Although not an absolutely terrible read...if you are looking for something along the lines of the Twilight series this is not it. I actually picked this book up at my local bookstore on the recommendation of the sales person. I asked what she would suggest after reading the Twilight series which I LOVED but this book doesn't even come close. So if you are looking for something now that the twilight series is complete, this isn't it.

While I find de la Cruz's novel entertaining and more sophisticated than many other books in this genre, I can't move past the terrible butchering of the Latin language. The book leans on history strongly, which adds a dimension of authenticity to it, but it entirely fails in this regard. Every Latin phrase in the book is translated--however, the Latin hardly reflects the translation. It's as if de la Cruz had an English to Latin dictionary, and just pulled words out of it. That is just shoddy and lazy editing--any first year Classics graduate student could have translated the phrases for this book, particularly those at her alma mater (yep, Latin). The reason I find this so offensive is that de la Cruz immerses herself and her readers in a world that hinges on pop culture and decadence that young people find fascinating and that piques their curiosity. I would hate to think anyone's curiosity about a beautiful and historical language was driven by the equivalent of a cheap knockoff.

I am a vampire fanatic and this book breaks down all the myths that other books build, making it more real and really making you believe that vampires could exist. Excellent first book and if you love this one, read the sequel Masquerade. The third book will be coming out in October.

I love the books of David Wiesner, they are imaginative and fun. He has amazing talent. Even as an adult I enjoy looking back through his books, just to admire the gorgeous scenes. It's a classic for any children's book collection.

I bought this book and the first night we were to read it, it was read 4 times over and my son still did not want to put it down. The illustrations tell a wonderful imaginative wacky tale of frogs flying into a suburb and having their "night out". We can create the length of the story by spending only as much time as my son wants on each page, taking either seconds or several minutes, since there are no words to read.
I liked it and I know my son loved it. A nice "out of the box" story.

My son is now 15 and he STILL remembers this book from when he was four or five. It was a huge favorite then and it still is now. I just sent a copy to a good friend with little boys who are sure to enjoy as much as mine did. This is a great book for the imagination and one that kids never tire of -- so many interpretations.

My son is 2 1/2 and we took this book out of the library three weeks ago. He loves this book, and wants it read to him before bed and at nap times. It does not give him bad dreams like some reviewers suggest will happen with little ones. He thinks the frogs flying through the air is so funny. Because there are so few words we make up our own stories as we go, and get a lot of laughs that way. He also loves to "read" the book to himself pointing out things he knows as he flips the pages. I dread having to take it back to the library and will be buying our own copy.

This is a beautifully done work. The story is made up of entirely pictures, beautifully done pictures, with great detail and haunting coloring. There are no words. In this case, to be quite frank, words simply are not needed. The story begins at dusk on Tuesday evening. The setting is a local pond. The frogs are all out setting on their lilly pads getting ready to do what frog in ponds have done for aeons. Then it happens. The magic begings. One by one, then in greater numbers, the lilly pads take off and begin flying, taking their frogs with them. What follows is a wonderful, surrealistic journey through the country side and small down. Each encounter, be it animal or human, is hilarious, from a bird to a Gramma setting in her chair and beyond. There are many adventures and many encounters. Still, no words!

This is one of those stories that is an ideal one to curl up with the little one, and go through it, page by page. Take the trip with the frogs! Now do be warned, the adult will actually have to (gasp) think, particularly with the younger ones, as the story needs to be filled in and discussed. What I like about this is that I can read it ten, twenty, thirty times, and come up with as many different versions of the story as numbers of reads. It simply never gets old. Now I note that some reviewers felt that this book may give their child night mares. I cannot imagine such a thing, but each parent knows their child (or should, anyway) and if they feel this will damage the little one in any way, well, they probably should not read it.

The art work in this one is of the highest quality. The author, no doubt, has a wonderful imagination and it show though with each turn of the page. The color and details are a treat to the eye and not only will the child enjoy the pictures, but amost any adult will also. I love the way this one ends too. The author takes us to the next Tuesday evening, about dusk, and.....well, you really need to read this one for your self.\

I cannot recommend this one highly enough.