Science Fiction Fantasy Books

This is a delightful imaginative book that will take the reader into a new land.

Princess Benevolence has lived a carefree life in the Kingdom of Montagne. With her uncle as King and her father as Prince, she is surrounded with luxury, though she has always been more interested in playing and eating sweets than wearing stylish gowns and attending fancy balls. Her mother tries to keep her earthbound by insisting they live over the guards' quarters instead of directly in the palace, and sets an example of generosity by treating the sick and wounded people of their kingdom.

Soon following Ben's 15th birthday party, the anniversary of her grandfather's death arrives, and the royal family departs to visit his grave. Unfortunately, Ben has overdone her party festivities and comes down with a cold, so she must stay in bed rather than accompany the family. Within hours, news of the horrid tragedy spreads across the country --- the King and Ben's mom have been murdered! And Ben's father, intent on following the killer for revenge, has disappeared into the surrounding mountains. The kingdom of Montagne falls into mourning.

With her father missing, Princess Ben becomes the next heir. But since she's underage, the ruling of the kingdom falls on the shoulders of Ben's strict aunt, Queen Sophia. The queen takes it upon herself to prepare Ben for her royal responsibilities, enrollling her in a no-nonsense crash course --- including language, etiquette and sewing lessons, all of which Ben despises --- and putting her on a strict diet to try to slim out her rather rounded figure. She is determined to shape Ben into a charming and beautiful princess in order to marry her off to strengthen the Kingdom's ties.

Starving, mourning her family and disgruntled with her aunt's unreasonable demands, Ben finds herself miserable. The one solace she has is the secret basket of food that a sympathetic employee leaves under her bed. But when Ben fails to lose weight, Sophia investigates and discovers the hidden stash. Life then goes from bad to worse, as her aunt forces her to move into a desolate tower cell attached to the queen's own quarters.

But then Ben discovers a hidden room connected to her cell. The dusty, secret nook contains a book of magic that teaches her spells, including conjuring fire and flying on a broom. Ben practices diligently every night, perfecting her skills in hopes they may help her escape out from under her aunt's clutches. However, she has no idea of the dangerous world in which she is about to enter, including war, enslavement --- and falling in love.

PRINCESS BEN is Catherine Gilbert Murdock's third novel, and she has proven once again her charming talent in weaving an entertaining story. She brings imagination, a sense of humor, adventure and colorful characters to the pages of her book, engaging readers until the very end. Murdock has chosen a poised and dignified voice for her main character, perfectly fitting of a royal princess, even though our young, clumsy heroine doesn't quite fit the mold as perfectly, at least in the beginning. Readers of this energetic fairy tale will enjoy accompanying Ben on her journey to maturity and in learning how to best serve her kingdom.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

First off, I must share my favorite line(s) from this book that sent me into fits of giggles:



With that, I hurled the slipper at him, not caring if I caused his decapitation. (I did not.) Marshaling what little dignity I yet possessed, I stomped down the corridor -- challenging indeed with one shoe -- and around the corner. I lay awake for hours. The prince had no right, not one, to indict me so, and if I had held the slightest hope of the book's assistance, I would have climbed at once to my wizard room for a spell with which to punish him. Death, perhaps, or humiliation. A croaking frog would be nice, particularly a frog that retained Florian's dark eyes. I should keep it in a box and poke it occasionally with a stick; that would be satisfying indeed.



Princess Ben is one of the most well thought-out and intellectually relevant books that I have ever read in today's time! Princess Benevolent has quite a year and must learn how to live up to her name. I earnestly can see where a reader can grow along with Ben, learning some difficult lessons that we especially today wish to ignore. Through this book I can see many a young, teenager, or older girl grow more into herself and what she will someday be. I feel like I learned somethings about myself through this book. All around a fabulous story, with twisting plots and turns I did not expect. The first section was a little droll, and I was waiting for excitement. Well the excitement came! and that build-up had been proper and necessary. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book. Buy it for your tween and teenage gals and let them go on the adventure. Goodness me, go on it yourself!

I was first captivated by this book when searching for new reading material for my young son. My eye was immediately drawn to the lovely cover, so I picked it up and started skimming the first page. I couldn't put it down! I bought it that day.

Princess Ben is a wonderful fantasy story set in a ficticious kingdom with rumors of dragons. When Ben loses her beloved parents, it sets into motion a string of fantastic adventures and events for her. From prisoner of war to princess of court, she emerges and transformers herself from misfit to royalty. I loved this book from page one.

It's a must read for those who love a good fantasy with romantic and magical elements. I highly recommend it!

In the author's attempt at eloquence, she uses such unnecessary flowery words, which painted no pictures or brought to mind no feelings. It was simply wordy for the sake of wordiness, and felt like the author had turned to her thesaurus at every sentence to see what extravagant turn of phrase she could create next.
Because it is a coming of age tale, at the beginning the main character is not likable in the least. But by the end, she is not lovable, either.
With a constant focus on food and her large weight, she suddenly has the relization that she's been eating for comfort, and not for sustenance. She instantly changes her ways, and food isn't mentioned again. Ridiculous. Eating disorders are never so easily conquered, and are perhaps too complicated a subject to be dissected in a book so short.
The love story element was under-developed, and I felt that I cared little for either Ben or her Prince.
The cute things I did appreciate, though, were the references made to fairy tales. The girl trades some "magic beans" for a cow, loses her shoe after a ball (by throwing it angrily at the prince), is stuck in a tall tower, and is laid under a spell to sleep.
If the author had used fewer words trying to sound intelligent, and more words fleshing out her characters, I might have loved this book. As it was, I didn't hate it. But I barely liked it.

Rated G. No parental guidence necessary for this one.

I love these books and the hard back set is well worth a few extra bucks. The box the books come in is beautiful along with the book covers themselves. I love these book so much, and they are a valuable addition to my library.

I had never heard of any of these books til my son went to Wal-Mart w/ my mother and came home w/ the paperback version. He loves anything that has to do w/ Dragon's and stuff. He was right at the end of the book when the movie came out and the book fell apart on him. He hurried up and gathered all the pages and finished reading it so I would buy him the movie when it came out on DVD. Now let me tell you never have a child read a book and then watch a movie about it they always have to say what is missing. He just finished the second book and he is waiting for the movie to come out on it. Buy the Hard Copies. The Paperback will fall apart in no time. If you are into Dragon's, Fantasy, Harry Potter or anything in that nature then you will want to get this set to add to your collection. Hope this review helps some.

I think these books were brilliantly written and I am excited to read the
third.

This book were very good I just wished that the begining of the movie was close to the books beginning. other then thet it was awsome!!!

I absolutely LOVE these two books!! I've had them less than a month and have read them both twice! I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the third!!!

For anyone who's read any of the first three books, you'll probably like this just as much. For anyone who hasn't, I highly recommend it.

Outcast is another great book in the series by Michelle Paver. I look forward to the release of Book 5. My 5th grade boys recommended the series to me and I read all 4 of her first books this summer!

This is the fourth book in the series and can't wait for the next one to come out. My 11 year old son starting reading this series at school and turned me on to this. I have now read all four books as well. Ended up purchasing two of this book as the first copy was misplaced after he had read it. Had to make sure I got my turn, so purchased it again! I would reccomend this to all ages, not one for just kids!

I am the oldest of the clans of the Open Forest...I speak for them all...The boy bears the mark of the Soul-Eater. The law is clear. He must be cast out.

What does it mean to be an outcast? For Torak it means he is no longer accepted among the clans. He leaves his tribe in disgrace because he has the mark of the Soul-Eaters on his chest. He cannot communicate with anyone, and if he is found, he will be killed. Fin-Kedinn, the Raven Leader who has been like a father to him, has been forced to cast him out. Even Renn, his best friend, is not allowed to help him and must turn her back on him or risk her own death. He is clanless. Torak travels alone, always in danger and with the curse of the Viper Mage, Seshru of the Soul-Eaters, haunting his every step.

The young warrior, however, does not give up. As he walks away from his beloved peoples he declares:

I may be outcast and clanless, but I'm no Soul-Eater. And I will find a way to prove it..."

With his long-time companion Wolf at his side and his confidence in the forest, he is determined to tear the mark from his chest and prove his worthiness. Though Renn is supposed to stay away, she finds him and reveals the magic rite he must use to remove the evil scar. Yet, as he moves deeper into the forests and is faced with more obstacles, his confidence is challenged from all directions. Hunted and haunted by the Viper Mage, Torak is unable to escape her powerful magic. Worst of all, he discovers that he cannot control the sickness creeping through his body and that he might, without intent, harm those he loves.

Renn now travels with a skilled Skinboater from the Seal Clan known as Bale. Risking their own lives, they try to protect Torak and help him as he fights against the Soul-Eaters. But for Renn there is even greater danger as the Viper Mage, Seshru, controls Torak and, in her raging jealously, sends a giant, slithering horror to destroy her.

The snake stretched its jaws wide --- its fangs unfold from the roof of its mouth and point down --- they fill with venom, ready to strike...Bite, bite..

How can OUTCAST be just as good, if not better, than the previous powerful books in this gripping series? The introduction of Bale is a good addition and brings an interesting character into the close relationship of Renn and Torak. All the wonderful details of life 6,000 years ago, the mystic happenings, the customs of everyday living and the abilities to survive in a world full of unknown threats is fascinating reading. Michelle Paver keeps every minute tingling with excitement, mystery and adventure.

The black and white drawings by Geoff Taylor again beautifully illustrate Torak's world. Book five will be out in January and no doubt will have an eager audience waiting for more fabulous stories of the amazing Torak and his ancient world.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

This story gets you deeper into the secrets of Torak, Renn, and the forest. Torak is banished from the clans because of his worst secrect. Being in outcast Torak is not able to talk to Renn unless she is an outcast too. During his adventures Torak meets two very smart crows. Read this book to find out what these two crows help Torak with and many other secrets.

-Girl with a plan

I have been reading this series from the start and thoroughly enjoyed them up until this point. I managed to make it to page 106 in Dragon Wytch and had to put it down before I fell asleep from boredom, again. I've come to realize that I don't like Camille. Her every man wants me because I'm so beautiful and sexy attitude is annoying. She's bossy and demanding and yet accomplishes nothing except sit around drinking tea at various establishments. Yet, Galenorn contradicts these very aspects she has establish by throwing in dialogue from other characters who tell Camille that she is alot stronger, better, and beautiful than she believes she is. Even more than she "thinks" she is? How extraordinary! That would be huge! Regardless, I normally can continue reading a book even when I don't like the character, but I could not get past the fact that nothing, and I mean nothing happened action wise in over 100 pages. I say again, BORING!

I picked this up hoping for a nice supernatural read. I am a fan of Patricia McKillip's Mercy novels and her new spinoff werewolf series.

However, this book just seems to lack any kind of coherent structure and is bogged down in unresolved issues, too many characters, and a "heroine" who is inconsistant.

The most annoying aspect of the novel is the amount of name dropping of creatures and "people". Even if you have read the previous novels, this gets ridiculous as one character would say "I wish...*insert name here*...was here" and then to follow the name would be a paragraph or two of how the character knows this person (or critter). This goes on and on...

There are so many problems amounting while the characters do little more than talk about how exhausted they are and sip various blends of tea. About a hundred pages in and they are still dawdling around you realize that these world shifting problems are not going to find resolution of any sort before the book concludes, which is frustrating at best. I don't see this series wrapping up for another half dozen books at this pacing, and the characters are not compelling enough to want to carry on.

Alot of it is ridiculous too. I understand the not-of-this-world aspect, and that unicorns are not going to be having lunch in your real world backyard, but supposed the Fae and "fantasy creatures" are new to this modern setting and the humans are just taking it in stride, even though two headed trolls are tearing their parks apart and whatnot. Do you see the human race putting up with this in such a short period of time? I think not. The backlash would be greater than some clueless police force blundering around trying to keep order. This is never explored and just kind of glossed over.

There are much better books on the market in this style. I did like that the author pulled characters from a variety of mythologies instead of just leaning on the typical ones, and I hope in future books she can flesh these out more and make them more interesting aside from having silly catfights and serving tea. The world built here is interesting and has alot of potential. It's just potential that is thus far, unrealized. Sadly.

Usually books in series fail to hold up to expectations as you go through each book. However this one delievers! Looking forward to reading forth-coming intallments.

Camille is doing all she can to cope with the stress in her life, what with being, along with her sisters, Guardians of the Earth against an invasion of the Demon hordes; dealing with a pushy, dangerous dragon that wants her in his bed; and the sudden surge of goblins, trolls and all manner of nasty magical beings appearing on Earth - Camille barely has time to sleep. But when the Unicorn Prince shows up on her doorstep with a request and a gift, Camille feels herself sinking deeper into unknown territory in her battle against evil. Also Camille can not ever forget that her Moon Magic is as likely to go haywire as to do what she intended, all the while more tasks and duties are placed upon her shoulders.

Now, Camille and her sisters must continue to search for the Spirit Seals needed to keep the demons locked away in their own world. But in the meantime, they also must deal with Demon Lords suddenly appearing in town, the awakening of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts on Earth, and the disappearance of one of the members of Camille's triad.

Will Camille and her sisters triumph in their Herculean task of defeating the Demons? Or will they be crushed to dust like the rest of humanity?

I must start off by saying that my experience with Dragon Wytch was definitely tainted by not having read the previous books in the series. Many "givens" within the plot and the characters were not understood nor did they offer the intended depth and emotion. That said, Dragon Wytch is an urban fantasy that is chock full of all the elements of a great fantasy book - plenty of action, varied and powerful magical beings, unexplored or recently discovered talents and an epic battle of good versus evil. However, in spite of these strong underpinnings to the story I found Camille to be a pale imitation of Ms. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series, with the collection of lovers and dangerous politics. It never clearly came across how or why Camille was so deeply attached to her main lovers - Trillian and Morio - to create any interest in them outside of their roles as magical and emotional support to Camille. But the real mystery to me is the eventual role of Smoky as a main love interest to Camille, since she spends almost the entire time she is around him in fear that he will do physical harm to her due to his draconic temper and her assertive character. Camille herself has such wild swings in her behavior as to make her incomprehensible at best and unintelligent at worst, which left me baffled most of the time and tired of her antics by the end of the book. Dragon Wytch is an action packed fantasy tale that fails to deliver on most fronts, ending in the middle of the magical action, leaving almost all of the important issues to be obviously resolved in further installments of the series, but only after having taken seemingly every detour possible within the plot. In the end I found Dragon Wytch a lack-luster read with characters that lacked depth, were unbelievable and boring despite the great promise shown at first glance.

Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I was a little leery of what the author planned to do since each of the three previous books was from the viewpoint of one of the sisters, which was disorientating, and now we have a fourth book but no fourth sister. Well, to keep it simple, we circled back to the same viewpoint as the first book. All in all though this is a very light and entertaining book that needs to be taken at face value and not delved for deeper meaning.

My twin 6 year old boys cannot get enough of this series. We were waiting for this book and were not disappointed. We anxiously await the next one!

The book is very fun and intreging. The details and diction used are captivating. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story and this version has become one of my favorites.

I liked this book. It has a little bit of magic. It keeps you guessing through the whole book.

Shannah

Master of the castle, enchanted to find love or die to the curse, negotiation for love, a beast and then a gentleman, a hero to ward off the wolves, two finding each other and coming together on their own, a villainous Geston, and Belle confessing her love to a dying prince. Time is short, man must find love whether he wants to or not, too survive. Without love man's escape is death; he is desperate to find a woman who brings love, caring, and warmeth to his castle. A warrior well proven in battle, a slayer of his enemies, a builder of fortress strong, a man who confides weakness in none other, a bringer of fear and terror; he must find love or die; he must champion and win the heart of his woman. Death and lack of love combine into the awful monster.

Pride and Prejudice shares a central theme, a powerful Lord, devoid of love, must find love or perish in despair; "if not Belle then who will he find to love him"; a prisoner of love, harsh terms, and brutal commands of control; a disclosure of vulnerable secret revealing hidden secret; a champion against evil rescuing the dame in distress; a soften of heart, a dinner, and a delightful dance; escape from reality through tales of excalibers swords, a Camelot story. The prince thought to possess love but instead discover that he had to win love. Love could not be commanded or possessed, it had to be freely given. The prince fell helplessly in love with the independent mind of Belle.

Phantom of the Opera, a transformation from peasant girl to princess; to love is to be human; all are confined to roles more robotic, slaves within their domain to an ungrateful master; song and dance of the cups, forks, and saucers.

Cinderella, the beast dies but the prince lives again happily ever after. The love of a father siding with Belle, believing in her, an eccentric fellow of no following, a genius before his time, a lost fellow in the woods, a man to be rescued by his daughter.

Lancelot and Quinivere, the forbidden love between a Queen and her servant; the noble house falling for the love of a peasant; both forbidden by code and culture

What an wonderful retelling of Beauty & the Beast! I actually like it better than the 'original'. Beauty is more beautiful inside than out (her real name fits her better than 'Beauty'), her father, sisters and brother-in-law are loving and only want what's best for her. I really enjoyed the growing relationship between Beauty and her Beast, especially the way she comes to think of him *as* 'her' beast, and the way their interests seemed so similar. The ending was not in the least 'mawkish' or overly sentimental but I was glad she left out the outraged villagers led by the jealous huntsman trying to kill the beast that we saw in the play. All in all, a wonderful story for those who love fairy tales with happy endings - a real keeper.

This is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story. McKinley did a wonderful job of describing visual details and emotional pangs, making this a delightful read. I've read several books by this author and this is my favorite. The story's enchanted world was just a little different than usual and the characters had more depth and more admirable qualities than in the traditional telling.

I liked that Beauty grew into her beauty, rather than being gorgeous from the start like her sisters. The love shared between the family was a good aspect of the story and brought lovely motivations for each of the characters. I don't mind that Beast was relatively civil, seeing as he had been a beast for hundreds of years. He had already had loads of time to come to grips with his new self, leaving him sorrowful and repentant more than angry and fierce.

Gossamer contains both a delightful story about learning to use one's gifts to ease human suffering and a rich metaphor of the workings of the human psyche. Mysterious creatures of the night, more like angels than faeries, flutter and flicker through the objects of our lives finding fragments from which to form dreams to bestow on us. In this gentle story, a young apprentice dream-giver discovers how to use her gossamer touch to find the right fragments to give healing dreams to an abused and angry eight-year-old boy. Lowry has deftly interwoven the story of the young boy and his elderly foster mother with the story of the young dream-giver and her elderly mentor. While kids will identify with the struggles of the youngsters, grown-ups who work with kids will find inspiration in the work of the dream-givers. "We do such important work," says Thin Elderly. "Sometimes we forget that." Thanks, Ms. Lowry, for a wonderful story that will entertain, enlighten and give new strength to readers of all ages.
Janet Gingold
author of Danger, Long Division

This book pulled me in; I couldn't help but keep turning the pages til I reached the end.

This was an entertaining story. It portrays these creatures that give dreams and their struggles to help people through their dreams and to help them fight off creatures that bring nightmares. It also tells the story of an 8 year old boy abused by his father who also abused her mother and has now gone off to live with an elderly lady. It was a very short book. Very easy to read and pretty interesting. It starts out a little slow for the 1st couple of chapters before you figure out what's going on. Then it's very interesting.

Gossamer was one of the best books that I have ever read! The best part about it was Littlest, the main character in the story. She was entergetic and "happy" from the beginning. Even so, that it also what makes this book not one of my most favorite books. I don't think that the main character changed very much in the book, and she stayed the same. It would be a better book if Littlest changed even a little bit in the book. She was not so dull, but not really that exciting in the book, because of that reason only. If it hadn't been for that reason, I think that Gossamer would be one of my most favorite books of all time.

This is a story by Lois Lowry about three different people living, changing, and their dreams. They experience relationships, hardships, and find ways to understand themselves and do better. In the beginning, they all are facing difficult problems without seeing any solution. In the middle everyone started to help each other and understand the other person's feelings and situation. The power of dreams, through Dream givers and Sinisteeds, start to affect the people. In the end, after much struggle, they all find ways to begin to solve their problems.
Gossamer was a fantastic book for a fifth grade class. This book makes you continue to think a lot, even when you are not reading it. It is well written and lets you understand and feel the emotion of each character. Great descriptions help you visualize the detail. Our discussions were filled with emotions and understanding our own selves. It made you think about your problems and how to solve them more easily. We realized that we get much hope from the power of our dreams and our minds. You cannot put down the book until you are finished. People who are into fantasy, realistic fiction, and basically people in the real world, can have the same feelings. The book that Lois Lowry wrote is heartwarming and everyone will love it.

Reviewed by Hillary Krajewski (age 15) for Reader Views (9/08)

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough has always been a very level-headed person. But, when she realizes the truth behind her mother's mental illness, she will need the all the help she can get to prevent herself from following a similar path. When Lucy is raped by her date at the school prom, the ancient process begins. Now, Lucy must try to save herself, as well as her daughter, from the problem that all the women in her family have been encountered with.

A terrible curse has plagued the all the women in her family for generations. Each woman must attempt to complete the three nearly impossible tasks, listed in the ballad "Scarborough Fair," before her daughter is born. If she is unable to complete the tasks, she will end up in the same position as her mother, insane and with a daughter in foster care. Luckily, Lucy has her foster parents, Soledad and Leo Markowitz, and her friend, Zach, to help her accomplish the tasks. But as the deadline rapidly approaches Lucy becomes increasingly unsure about how the horrible situation that she is in will play out. Will Lucy be able to conquer the evil that is trying to ruin her life, or will she end up like her mother?

"Impossible" is a fantastic story written by Nancy Werlin. The story is exciting and suspenseful and so realistic despite the mentions of magic. Although it is a fantasy story, it is still very easy to relate to Lucy's story. It is definitely a very enjoyable book that can be read over and over. Readers will love Lucy's story and sympathize with her, even if they don't normally read fantasy books. Werlin's second novel is an amazing read and is sure to captivate any audience.

Nancy Werlin uses a variation of the folksong "Scarborough Fair" as the backdrop for an interesting combination of mystery, fantasy, suspense, and the paranormal.

Generations ago an angry elfin knight placed a curse on the young women of the Scarborough clan. Each girl became pregnant as a teen and upon giving birth to a daughter, each girl went insane. The only way to break the curse was to complete three tasks described in the lyrics of the song. Until now it seemed the curse would carry on forever.

Lucy Scarborough, now seventeen, has always known her birth mother was Miranda Scarborough, but luck brought her into the lives of Leo and Soledad Markowitz. They have raised her since birth and understand the complications of her life story. Through the years they have been plagued by visits from Miranda. Her insanity has been the cause of many embarrassing situations. Now, as Lucy is approaching her last year in high school, she hopes that she can avoid anymore encounters with her crazy mother and get on with her life.

Early in the story, Lucy is preparing for her prom and her date with Gray Spencer. Her adopted parents are nervous about the date since it is one of her first, and they haven't actually met Gray. As the couple is posing for pictures and is about to leave for the evening, the unthinkable happens. Miranda shows up in her baggy T-shirt and flowing skirt, pushing her rusty shopping cart full of bottles and cans. Everyone is shocked when she begins to attack, throwing glass bottles at everyone in the yard. She is finally hauled away by the police, but not before Gray makes a get-away in his new car, leaving Lucy humiliated and dateless.

Just when Lucy is ready to give up on him and attend the prom with a long-time childhood friend, Gray returns, apologizes for running off, and begs her to still be his date. She happily accepts, but it proves to be the beginning of yet another horrible experience. As the two are leaving the prom later that evening, Gray takes Lucy aside and forces himself on her. The experience is not only terrible, but also puzzling as Lucy tries to connect the gentle high school boy with the vicious act and the sinister voice she hears during that attack.

Weeks after the prom, Lucy discovers she has followed in the footsteps of the Scarborough women and become a pregnant teen. Will her fate be the same? Will she give birth to a daughter, and will she lose her mind?

Werlin creates an interesting mix of past and present. Lucy seems one moment to be a typical teen, and the next, the victim of an ancient evil. The turning of each page reveals another fact about the family curse. The lyrics of the song provide the clues necessary to break the curse, but those clues are not crystal clear and require creative solutions from Lucy and her helpful family and friends. Encouraged by hope and love, Lucy fights to change the direction of her life at the same time as she learns to accept the hand fate has dealt. Werlin fans will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

For generations the Scarborough women have been doomed to live eighteen years in sanity, until the birth of their first and only daughter, and then continue the rest of their lives in madness. Their only hope in avoiding insanity is to solve three tasks laid out for them in the Ballad of Scarborough Fair. None of the women have ever come close to solving them.

Until Lucy. Unlike her ancestors, she possesses a loving foster family, and Zach, her childhood friend who has loved her from afar for years. When she finds herself seventeen and pregnant, her unconventional family will band together, with the aid of Lucy's mother's diary pages from before insanity overtook her, and find a way break their curse once and for all--Lucy's future, and those of her mother and unborn daughter, depend upon it.

The haunting and mysterious words of the Ballad of Scarborough Fair take on new meaning in Impossible as Lucy, a young, determined, and modern heroine is faced with insurmountable odds. Werlin's prose is wonderfully magnetic; a pervading mix of magic, romance, and apprehension. Suspense is skillfully built throughout the book, and is sure to make readers squirm in excitement. Further knowledge of Lucy's ancestors might have added some appeal and interest to the story, but the lack of information on them does not detract from the story in any way. Werlin proves not only to be a captivating writer in Impossible, but also a uniquely clever and sensitive one as well as this unusual, romantic, and enchanting novel unfolds.

For the past five generations the women in Lucy Scarborough's family have been cursed to give birth to a girl at 17-years old then fall into madness. One difference in Lucy's case is that she has her foster family and good friend Zach to protect her. When the inevitable pregnancy happens Lucy finds her birth mother's diary and learns the secrets to breaking the curse. Now Lucy has nine months to figure out and complete three tasks. Will she do it on time and save herself and her daughter or will she be doomed to follow the women in her family into insanity?
The target audience is ages 12 and up however I feel that some of the subject matter in the book would be unsuitable for children so young. Without revealing any spoilers the way Lucy becomes pregnant and the discussions of sex in the book seem more suited for someone at least 16 years or older.
I got through the book in one day however it seemed to drag on more than I expected. Lucy's character is well written but I just couldn't connect with the other characters surrounding her. The happily ever after ending was unbelievable and I feel that the completion of the three tasks could have been developed a whole lot more being that they were a major plot point in Lucy breaking free of the curse.
I'm not convinced that true fantasy readers will like this story. To me it was passable but I would have liked more fantasy elements to the story. The book is more romance or fiction addressing social issues than fantasy. If you're looking for a realistic fantasy with lots of magical elements then this book might not work for you.

Lucy Scarborough feels very lucky to have wonderful foster parents Soledad and Leo Markowitz, who took her in when her mother Miranda, only eighteen when her child was born, went insane and left.. Lucy sees her sometimes as a bag lady with a shopping cart. Right now Lucy looks forward to going to the Junior Prom with Gray Spencer, who she likes. The date turns miserable because he rapes her, but she does not believe her predator was Gray as his eyes changed and he spoke in another language; he also called her Fennala.

Her caring parents and her childhood friend Zach get her through the next four months. Zack finds her biological mother's diaries in which he reads that the Scarborough family line including Lucy has been cursed; to lift the elven curse, each female must accomplish three impossible tasks or go mad. None including her mom has succeeded at even one task. However, Lucy has something unique to aid her on her quest that her ancestry never had; she has three people who love her very much, who willingly risk their lives to help her. Three people she loves back as a daughter who cherishes her parents and as a girlfriend to Zach; so she prefers to keep them safe and go it alone but they won't let her.

This is an outstanding young adult fantasy thriller based on the Scarborough Fair ballad with a Brothers Grimm Grim like spin that older readers will appreciate due to an excellent tense story line and strong characterizations. Zach and Lucy are determined obstinate individuals who in his case is willing to die for his beloved and in her case she is not willing to accept his help as she wants him to live (proving Mickey & Sylvia right that "Love is Strange"). The antagonist demonic elf is evil punishing generations of women due to the first sin of an ancestor rejecting him; affirming that adage that Hell has no fury like an elf scorned.

Harriet Klausner

This book (and the 3 before that) is just great.
I was getting tired of fantasy, and then I bought the first 3 of the series. I couldn't stop reading !

The books are very interesting because they mix dragons with history. It's a very realistic world with dragons (probably because it is ours... with dragons). Characters are great (especially dragons), storyline is captivating... One of the finest series I read recently !

Beware, though... There are 5 books now in the Temeraire Series. I'm still in the fifth when I write this, so I don't know for sure there won't be a sixth. And you can't really read only part of them. Unless you like to stop reading in the middle of the storyline...

Great Book...I have been reading through Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. I find them very interesting from a historical view and a fantasy view...She blends them seamlessly...Great read for all. Empire of Ivory was probably my favorite except for the first.

"Empire of Ivory" is an alternate history novel, set in Europe and Asia at the time of the Napoleanic war. This novel continues where "Black Powder War" left off with the (untrue) promise that this novel would focus on T--'s attempts to reform Brittish law concerning dragons. Instead, this novel follows L-- and T-- as they meander through a series of loosely related adventures from England, down to Africa, and back. All of the dragons in England are deathly ill, and only L-- and T-- can save them.

I found "Empire of Ivory" to be a bit dull. Instead of the interesting plotline promised at the end of the previous novel, we are presented with yet another series of mini-adventures -- and after two novels chocked full of meandering mini-adventures, I am ready for something else. On top of that, the plot relies FAR too heavy on the "unjust world" theme. For myself, I'd have condensed the entirity of this book into a short story.

That said, the book is saved by the last three chapters. These go off on a tangent, and by rights should have been placed at the start of the next book. While the urgency is absurd and the melodrama over the top, this is quite forgivable. These chapters set up a wonderful little tragic dilema for L-- and T--, who have hithertofore simply followed orders. I'd have given "Empire of Ivory" 2-stars except for the last three chapters.

Until that point, the overall feel of this novel is "the continuing adventures of L-- and T-- as they meander through a forgettable series of adventures, brightened occasionally by encounters with favorite characters from previous novels." It will likely appeal to anyone who enjoyed Black Powder War (Temeraire, Book 3) (Temeraire) or The Hero Strikes Back or Forged Without Fire: A Champion for Catlover or The Truthsayer's Apprentice (The Loregiver Series, Book 1).

While each of the Temeraire books deal with the adventures of Temeraire and Capt.
Laurence as they travel across the globe, I think this is the first time author
Naomi Novik has had free reign to develope an entire civilization.

In the previous books, Novik presents Europe and China from a historical perspective,
imagining what differences would occur from the inclusion of dragons in culture
and society. She had some fairly well established societies to start with.

In this book, Novik gets to create an entire civilization (one unknown to readers)
in the heart of deepest, darkest Africa. And in doing so, she creates a significantly
more dangerous threat than "the devils you know" from the first books.

While letting her imagination completely loose for the first time, Novik has set
up the saga to go in directions unrestrained by the flow of actual history, into
a realm all her own.

Bravo.

In this 4th book in the Temeraire series, Novik has introduced us to an entirely new civilization, further expanding the Temeraire universe. And she still has lots of room to expand even more. Not only that, but I could easilly see her writing another series from the perspective of this newly discovered civilization. And to give us incentive to read the next book in the Temeraire series, she made sure to end this one with a cliffhanger.

I loved this book! It has been a long, long time since a romance novel has brought me to tears, but this one surely did. I made an attachment to these characters and I felt their pain. As Allie struggles to make Royce understand he deserves to be loved I felt her frustration and despair. And I cried for her.
The characters were rich and fully developed. The book had my attention right from the beginning and I finished it in record time. So far both books in this series have held me spellbound and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

The charachters was beautifull, and storyline was bold, couldn't put the book down untill the end. Loved it.

DARK RIVAL is the story of Allie Monroe, a healer, and her protector, Royce. Able to time travel, Royce appears in present day New York and guards Allie from darkness as she heals others. When Royce is murdered in front of her, Allie forces his friend, Aidan, to take her back in time to prevent his death from happening.

I realize this is not the first book in the series, but I was lost for a good section of the book. The author did continue to reference the backstory, but this proved more annoying than helpful. I did at least grasp the concept of the story.

Allie knows her calling in life, almost too well, and is portrayed with a solid strength. She was likable until she and Royce were reunited. At this point, she came across as overbearing and whiny, which resulted in him appearing wimpy. Royce doesn't know what to think of this woman who keeps insisting that she is in love with him. He is sworn to a code and does try to keep her safe, even when she does everything to encourage 'evil' to find her.

The plot is filled with undeveloped, secondary characters with storylines that lacked continuity and believability. The scenes with the queen and Royce only served to undermine his character and distanced Allie from me as a reader.

There were glimmers of hope, but these all fizzled. I really wanted, and tried, to like this book. I love time travel stories. This one, even with all of its false starts, never came across.

CarolASpradling.com author

I enjoyed the first book of this series, but this one was spell binding. I couldn't put this one down. I am on the edge of me seat waiting for the book.

Primarily my disappointment lies with the heroine Allie Monroe. She was so immature and whiny that I just wanted Royce to send her back to her time and be done with her. If Ms Joyce could have just placed an older, wiser heroine in Allie's place, I would have enjoyed reading this book much more. Despite the disappointments, I still loved all of the other characters and felt that there was decent character development.