Science Fiction Fantasy Books

All of the Erin Hunter books are great! I just love them and have read them many times over. I am not a reader, I hate to read!!! But give me a Warrior series book and leave me alone for a few days. They are the best. Thanks Erin for opening up a new world for me.

The forest is in its darkest hour, and frightening new prophecies come up:
"Four will become two.
Lion and tiger will meet in battle,
and blood will rule the forest."

To find out if the Clans will survive this hardship, you have to read The Darkest Hour.
This fantasy novel, part of the ever-growing Warriors series, takes place in a forest near a highway, some time in 21st century mainland ("modern times"). There are four Clans in the forest: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. Fireheart (later known as Firestar) is the new leader of ThunderClan. He is described as a `handsome ginger tom", and like his name implies, he is brave and will stand up for whatever he thinks is right. Tigerstar, the vicious leader of ShadowClan, is a tyrant and will stop at nothing to take over the forest.
StarClan can be described as cat heaven or the cats living in cat heaven. When a cat becomes leader of his Clan, he receives nine lives from StarClan (get that: cats don't come with nine lives; they have to earn it): courage, justice, loyalty, tireless energy, protection, mentoring, compassion, love, and nobility, certainty, and faith. Of course, all this life receiving is very painful.
Something bad is coming to the forest, something bad enough to have its own prophecy. Firestar is sure this has to do with Tigerstar, but he can't really be sure. When Tigerstar brings up the idea of joint Clans, Firestar is convinced. How could he even mention the idea? There`ve always been four clans in the forest, and it's the will of StarClan to be that way, right? But Tigerstar is definitely hiding something here...
This fast-paced book was easier to read than maybe Brian Jacques' books but not so easy as Guardians of Ga'hoole. I think the theme would be courage. Yes. Stand up for what you believe in. The title is what it is because the Clans faced a looming crisis, bigger than even a forest fire. Erin Hunter uses lots of descriptive words to give you a good picture of what's going on in the novel, and keeps you reading until you're done. I think it showed some Christian perspective in one of StarClan's many visits to Firestar. Contrary to what the cats are taught, StarClan do not control everything; they give the Clans free will and don't force things onto them, kind of like God does.
I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to middle-school-and-up people who enjoy reading fantasy things or likes to contemplate what their cat might be dreaming of.

The forest is in its darkest hour, and frightening new prophecies come up:
"Four will become two.
Lion and tiger will meet in battle,
and blood will rule the forest."

To find out if the Clans will survive this hardship, you have to read The Darkest Hour.
This fantasy novel, part of the ever-growing Warriors series, takes place in a forest near a highway, some time in 21st century mainland ("modern times"). There are four Clans in the forest: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. Fireheart (later known as Firestar) is the new leader of ThunderClan. He is described as a `handsome ginger tom", and like his name implies, he is brave and will stand up for whatever he thinks is right. Tigerstar, the vicious leader of ShadowClan, is a tyrant and will stop at nothing to take over the forest.
StarClan can be described as cat heaven or the cats living in cat heaven. When a cat becomes leader of his Clan, he receives nine lives from StarClan (get that: cats don't come with nine lives; they have to earn it): courage, justice, loyalty, tireless energy, protection, mentoring, compassion, love, and nobility, certainty, and faith. Of course, all this life receiving is very painful.
Something bad is coming to the forest, something bad enough to have its own prophecy. Firestar is sure this has to do with Tigerstar, but he can't really be sure. When Tigerstar brings up the idea of joint Clans, Firestar is convinced. How could he even mention the idea? There`ve always been four clans in the forest, and it's the will of StarClan to be that way, right? But Tigerstar is definitely hiding something here...
This fast-paced book was easier to read than maybe Brian Jacques' books but not so easy as Guardians of Ga'hoole. I think the theme would be courage. Yes. Stand up for what you believe in. The title is what it is because the Clans faced a looming crisis, bigger than even a forest fire. Erin Hunter uses lots of descriptive words to give you a good picture of what's going on in the novel, and keeps you reading until you're done. I think it showed some Christian perspective in one of StarClan's many visits to Firestar. Contrary to what the cats are taught, StarClan do not control everything; they give the Clans free will and don't force things onto them, kind of like God does.
I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to middle-school-and-up people who enjoy reading fantasy things or likes to contemplate what their cat might be dreaming of.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

"Today is a good day to die, but tomorrow is better. Unless, those doing the dying are six foot, mutated chipmunks with blaster rifles. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning. If you ask me, the end makes a fine beginning. Things come together and things fall apart, and the fur flies a little easier with the help of a Rolling Thunderä shotgun, as long as that fur isn't mine, and I'm the one pulling the trigger. Yep, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but I ain't Mr. Rogers."

"But, I should introduce myself, you can call me Ishmael. Just kidding, bit of classical allusion there. Call me Hobo, warrior, poet, and one fine-looking feline, that's me. See, all cats are warriors, at least at heart, and that's why I'm the best one to introduce the series, Warriors."

Warriors is a book series first published in 2003 by Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, under the pen name Erin Hunter, and introduced to me by cat and book lover Billy Waltz. The second series was written under the title Warriors: The New Prophecy. The third series, The Power of Three, and two more books, Firestar's Quest and Secrets of the Clans, are coming in 2007.

The series starts off with Into the Wild and a young "kitty pet"(house cat) name Rusty who yearns for adventure and has vivid dreams of the wilds. He meets a young feral cat, and this meeting leads to a chance to join a clan of wild cats called Thunderclan. He's renamed Firepaw and becomes an apprentice warrior. He finds himself in the middle of a tribal war with three other clans who coexist and compete for food and resources.

Allegiances are constantly shifting among the clans of warrior cats that roam the forest. With tensions so delicately balanced, former friends can become enemies overnight, and some cats are willing to kill to get what they want. Our young protagonist quickly moves from apprentice to warrior, to second-in-command, to leader of his clan. He must learn wisdom, deal with betrayal, and ultimately save his clan and the forest way of life.

The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology. There is intrigue, themes of loyalty, friendship and death, and an engaging young hero. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail. (Oct. 16 is national feral cat day. Check out www.nationalferalcatday.org ) The cats, anthropomorphism aside, are true to their feline nature, which should delight cat and animal lovers alike. There is some violence. Some characters are killed through fighting and natural disasters, and there is treachery, betrayal and traitors, and even murder among the cats and clans, though it is crucial to the plot and not excessive.

Overall, I believe readers will find a fun-to-read series of books. Though not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques' Redwall series. The superb storytelling drew me into a realm so vivid that it could almost be real and I really came to care about the characters I found myself staying up late, with the old flashlight under the cover trick, to finish the books, and that Sand Storm sounds like a babe. Wonder what she's doing Saturday night? Hey, this cat is a fighter and a lover....

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

The plot and the Akaran children themselves seem to be cut from the same cloth as the Stark children in GRRM's Fire and Ice books. Let's see...

Plot points:
-Dispossessed nobles rise again to unseat their oppressors (king's children instead of Lord's children). Each child was scattered to the four winds and has no idea if the other is alive.

-Ancient magic system has disappeared, but there is a quest to bring it back (Santooth instead of dragons) to help restore rightful rulers to power.

Characters:
Oliver = Rob Stark. Eldest son of a murdered noble/royal father who rises to challenge for the throne and is ***SPOILER*** killed.

Corinn = Sansa + some Danerys. Beautiful clueless elder daughter who starts out in the captivity of her father's assassins and ends up rising to power and overthrowing her oppressors (that's the Danerys part).

Mena - Arya, only hotter apparently. Natural sword wielding younger daughter who has resorted to violence to ease her pain.

Dariel - John Snow. Probably the most different character compared to the GRRM, but still... Instead of going to The Wall and meeting up with Wildlings and Others and ultimately becoming the leader of the watch, he goes to an island, meets up with and becomes the leader of pirates.

Of course, the details are different and the auther does a reasonable job of creating a unique world, magic systems, etc. I enjoyed it, but it was so similar to GRRM, I just couldn't rank it above a 3.

With bona fide masters like George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson raising the bar on the whole field, the baseline quality of big-brick fantasy has improved a lot in recent years. While it's too much to expect that every heralded new author be another Martin, one is rarely disappointed of a good read. By this standard, I've had a streak of buying successes: Scott Lynch, Brian Ruckley, and Patrick Rothfuss -- all perfectly adequate.

That streak is now over.

David Anthony Durham's "Acacia" is an abysmal production. The author centers his Known-World-spanning conflict around themes "ripped from the headlines," as they say: drug trafficking, slavery, the corruption of the powerful. But that isn't what's wrong with this book. The prose manages to be both tin-eared and laden with purple cliches -- it's so bad it kept on throwing me out of the story. That's a large part of what's wrong with this book. But worst of all is the flat predictability of the characters. The four royal children and their various opponents all behave exactly as characters in post-Martin fantasies do behave, right down to angsting about the "moral ramifications" (a 21st-century phrase if there ever was one, and one of those that threw me out of the story) of their behaviour. Not one of them ever came alive to the point that I cared what happened to them. Oh, and by the way, Durham can't write women, either.

(Sidebar rant: Is anyone else fed up with [usually male; hello, Scott Lynch] writers who depict women making up a large part of the armies, mercenary companies, etc. of otherwise medieval worlds? While I can't pretend to know their motives, it strikes me -- a female feminist -- as pandering to political correctness. In 15th-century England, for example, childbirth took such a horrific toll that women had an average life expectance of 30, and infant mortality was extremely high too. In other words, given medieval levels of health care, a society MUST dedicate all its womanpower to the perilous job of reproduction. To take significant numbers of them out of the baby-making force would be collective suicide. So when I see this kind of thing in a fantasy novel, I lose confidence in the author's worldbuilding. Sidebar concludes...)

In conclusion, "Acacia" is only worth your time if your taste in prose was formed by late-period Jordan and you like characters to know their place on the page, instead of springing to life in your mind. Looking for insightful discussion of drug trafficking, slavery, and corruption? Read a newspaper.

I'm giving "Acacia" two stars instead of one for the sheer density of background detail, and, well, for not being by Terry Goodkind.

Full disclosure: I was not able to read the whole book--after the first third I skipped straight to the final 4 chapters and did not sense that I had missed much.

The heart of the problem, for me, was the all-knowing, all-exposition development of the story. The reader is told a lot: thoughts of characters, their development, the history of various characters and peoples. At the same time there is relatively few conversations. My impression is of much interior monologue and little dialog. What is lost is a sense of mystery and discovery. So many details, but so little sense of the actual character. In the end, I found I didn't care much for any of the protagonists.

The flatness of the psychology of the characters was not balanced by an interesting plot. Realpolitik is not exactly new in modern fantasy nor is the addition of a wide range of ethnic groups. In terms of pacing, I found it difficult to get a sense of how fast time passes.

A book that seemed to have a lot of potential, but in the end did not work for me.

***Spoiler Alert ***

My Acacian Journey - A review of both the book of CD and the book itself

Acacia has been an unusual experience for me. I began by first getting the unabridged version of the book from the library (all 23 disks), and listening to it nonstop during a two-day road trip. So I felt quite immersed in the story, but felt I was missing too much detail and nuance, due to having it read to me. I stopped listening at about disk 17, and decided to finish, instead, by reading the actual book. But "The Name of the Wind" became available at the library, so I spent the next few weeks reading that. I decided I'd begin Acacia (the book this time) from the beginning. That tells me I did enjoy the story, enough to read most of it all over again only 3 weeks after hearing it on disk. A few notes on this experience:

Hearing the book first meant that I was familiar with how the strange names of people and places were pronounced. Most striking of all was the book's subtitle, "The War with the Mein." According to the reader, Mein is pronounced like "mean." Which goes against the rules for English, certainly. I assumed it was pronounced as the German word "mein,", that is, like the English word "mine." This seemed a bit wrong to me. Why make up a name that everyone is certain to mispronounce? And it seems rather hokey to call your bad guys the "Means". Reminds me of Yellow Submarine, except these guys weren't blue.

But it was really cool to see these words after hearing them read to me for 20 hours or so. Strange, but true. I really enjoyed reading it after hearing it. And this confirmed for me that you really do need to *read* a book. Having it read to you is not good enough, though it is entertaining when driving for 10 hours straight. But there's no stopping (as you can do when reading) to think about what someone has said, or what just happened. The reader just rolls on. So that's a limitation of the medium. Hitting the pause button would be much more disruptive of the fictive dream than simply looking up from the page and thinking.

Finally, the voice of the reader is not like the voice in your head, which in my head at least, does not sound like a whiny twit when reading the words spoken by the women in the book. The reader attempts to come up with a different-sounding voice for every major character. He does a great job with the mens' voices. Meander especially was chilling to listen to. But the women - especially Corinn -- came across as very small-minded and weak. Reading the book, Corinn came across rather differently. A much stronger character, for sure. Durham's handling of women, however, could be much better. He has the two male siblings, Aliver and Dariel, sent off to lands where they learn fighting skills. He send the two female siblings, Corinn and Mena (unfortunate name, that -- sounds too much like "Mein") to places where they don't learn fighting. He then has Mena learn, in a single chapter, how to become a legendary fighter, and it just doesn't wash.

As for the story itself, here are my thoughts. Obviously, I liked it enough to essentially "read" it twice in a two-month span. I never do that. The writing style is very good, and better than 90% of the doorstop fantasy tripe out there. This is a first fantasy novel for Durham, who has heretofore only written historical fiction. Durham says, "Acacia is a novel about the myths empires create to explain their crimes. It's about how difficult it is to join idealism with action. It's about ambition and hope and dealing with the disappointments inflicted by a callous world. It's about family legacy, sibling rivalry, and striving to correct past wrongs." This comes across quite well, and these strong thematic elements make "Acacia" an important fantasy novel. Durham, an African American, was also attempting to include a vast racial diversity, and in that I don't think he was very successful. The various tribes all seem cut of the same cloth, and rather hackneyed cloth at that. They're stereotypical primitives. Durham's imagination seems to have failed him here, I'm afraid. The Meins and the Acacians seem very much alike, and the rest come across as third world knockoffs. Having read a lot of science fiction, I've seen many authors do a better job of imagining alien cultures. Durham is falling back on stereotypes from our own world too much, I feel.

Another nagging problem was that I felt the presence of a story outline. The characters often seemed to be fulfilling the needs of that outline rather than acting according to their true natures. The best example of this was the very end, when Corinn suddenly beomes very powerful and cunning. There was no foreshadowing this development. She was too obviously advancing the plot, and not in a way the reader expects.

The death, at the very end, of Aliver, seemed wrong. We see Aliver grow steadily in power and wisdom for 550 pages, and then he foolishly agrees to a fight with Meander. I could almost see Durham saying, "Okay, for the next book, I want Corinn to be the Queen, so I need to get rid of Aliver. Hm. How can I do that?" So he gives us a few paragraphs of Meander's thoughts, of Meander realizing that soon he will be seen as a mere nothing compared to his older brother Hanish. So he'll kill Aliver and thus do something important. This seems obviously hacked in, not natural, and it throws you right out of the story. I felt these characters would not do these things, based on what I knew of them.

One final quibble: I wish Durham had not waited till nearly the end to explain why the Tunishnevre (the ancestors cursed by the ancient Akaran Tinhaden) needed to be transported from the Mein homeland to Acacia. I kept wondering why Hanish was going to so much trouble, when he could simply take Corinn to the ancestors, and this made me begin to suspect a plot hole. Durham should have explained the need to have them "awoken" in Acacia right up front.

Acacia is an important new fantasy novel, and I look forward to reading the next volume(s). Durham does not say how many books are to come, but there is obviously at least one more. I'm sorry if this review seems overly negative. I hope the author finds these criticisms helpful, if he reads them. Fantasy that speaks to the problems our world faces is rare. Acacia is a breath of fresh air, though it stumbles now and then. Acacia and Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day 1) combine to give fantasy lovers great hope for the future.

Though I am a fan of the fantasy genre, I also have to say that I've been disappointed by many fantasy novels. When I bought Acacia, I wanted to read some imaginative, new fantasy, but I was hesitant to simply pick up a random book off the shelf (since there is so much "bad" fantasy out there). So, I read some positive reviews of Acacia, and I decided to give it a try. Once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. The story is captivating and, in some instances, quite surprising. Important characters die (as in real life), and the line separating good from evil is quite blurred. The landscape of the novel is rich, unique, and diverse, and, like other hugely successful fantasies, this "Known World" exists unto itself and allows the readers to escape to an entirely new place. The human characters are very much like us--specifically including our fallibilities and errors in judgment--and this human element is part of what sets this novel apart. Most of the characters here evoke feelings of both intense sympathy and total condemnation. The "bad" people show glimpses of humanity, while the "good" people perform and/or condone terrible atrocities. These qualities make this novel the most human fantasy that I have had the pleasure of reading. If you enjoy a good story, you will love this book (regardless of whether you usually read fantasy or not). I look forward to the sequel and hope that it meets the high standards that were set by this amazing work.

I really thought this book would be great and looked forward to reading it. It was not nearly as good as it could have been. The main character Marty was so incredibly annoying. I wanted to gag every time she spoke. The other characters in the book were o.k. but i just felt like Marty did not deserve to be happy because she is such a brat. A guy like Keegan would never fall for a self centered, shallow fool like Marty.

If you like Stephanie Plum and always wondered what would happen if she got bitten by a werewolf, and/or the sex scenes were more graphic, then this is the book for you....

Marty Andrews was bitten by Keegan Flaherty, by mistake. At least that is what Keegan is trying to convince Marty, but she is having none of it. She was bitten by a big dog and Keegan is anything but a dog.

While in werewolf form Keegan is drawn by the scent of Marty. He accidentally bites her turning Marty into a werewolf. Trying to convince Marty she is a werewolf is going to be harder than he expected.

When Marty is kidnapped she calls on Keegan for help. Can Keegan convince Marty she's a werewolf? Will Marty fit into Keegan's world or will his pack be too much for her to handle?

The Accidental Werewolf is a crazy thrill ride with a couple bumps along the way. It started off a little slow for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to like Marty, but she grows on you. Marty is a little neurotic, but funny in her own way. Keegan has the patience of a saint and he needs it to deal with Marty. Dakota Cassidy does a wonderful job with twists and turns that kept me guessing. The Accidental Werewolf is wonderfully quirky and I hope Ms. Cassidy writes more on the Flaherty family.

Jambrea
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I enjoyed this book. It was a funny and easy read. However I could tell it was the author's first published book. There was a sense that she couldn't decide which way to go with the story, lighthearted and no real danger to her characters, or more serious with real danger lurking. There are a couple of plot points that were repeatedly brought up that were glossed over in the end.
But overall I enjoyed it and will read her next book.

I saw mostly all of 5 star reviews for this book. But, the book did not live up to their reviews. How can I trust amazon and the reviews given to books now?

I love The Sisters Grimm series but I like the way he describes everything as if you were really there, take when they were in the diner, you could actually see the celing ripped off to uncovering this huge head of a "Jabberwocky" and it's "psycotic" owner.And the tension that he puts into his choice of words.If you havn't read this series I think you should!

I am 4th grader. I started reading The Sisters Grimm when I was 8 years old in 3rd grade. It was scary at the end and exciting through the whole thing. Sabrina and Daphne live in Ferry Port Landing where fairy tale characters are real. They live with the big bad wolf. The sheriff is one of the three (not so little) pigs. Daphne's teacher is Snow White.

The girls' parents have been kidnapped by the Scarlet Hand. The story tells about the girls' adventures as they try to find their parents. I recommend it.

This book was as exciting and then some as the others and I can't wait to read book 4

This is a great, excitement-filled adventure book that everyone should have a chance to read. I liked the ending, the fat cranky Ariel Mermaid, and the many surprises through the book. I DO hope the series ends because I can't wait to find out what will happen next, and the suspense is killing me! :)

(Available in hardcover and paperback)

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have had several narrow escapes from the evil organization, The Scarlet Hand, that is holding their parents hostage. The girls are hot on the trail of the organization when they meet Uncle Jake (another relative they didn't know they had). It seems Ferryport Landing residents don't remember him either. That's because Granny Relda made sure (with a little help from magic) everyone would forget him after he inadvertently was involved in an insane Little Red Riding Hood escaping from the asylum with a Jabberwocky.

If Sabrina and Daphne are to rescue their parents, they must rely on help from Uncle Jake and even Puck (who drives the girls crazy most of the time). But things get a little muddled when it is discovered that Little Red Riding Hood is bent on recreating her own lost family. That means that Grandma Relda and the family dog, Elvis, are in peril.

The novel is filled with appearances by many favorite fairy-tale characters. Prince Charming and the Queen of Hearts compete in a mayoral election; Snow White is angry with her former love; Canis (The Big Bad Wolf) may have met an unfortunate end; and Rip Van Winkle will make you smile. As for the other cameo appearances, you'll have to read the book to meet them.

And of course, questions are left unanswered for the next installment of The Sisters Grimm. Will Puck get to Faerie in time? Will Sabrina and Daphne's parents wake up from their forced slumber? Who is the head of The Scarlet Hand organization? Will Grandma Relda and Elvis be safe?

The next book will be released December 2007, so the wait won't be too long.

The Sisters Grimm series is a delight. It is in my opinion as good as Harry Potter. It's a fast read and filled with quirky characters and situations that are so much fun.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

Love this story. I use this book in my math class to teach tangrams. This is an excellent resource to use to teach children how the Chinese puzzle tangrams work. This book was in excellent condition when I received it and I know that I will use it for years to come.

As a teacher I have used this book when we study ancient China. It is also great to use in math and have the children make tangrams. It is always a surprise with what child makes a complete square with them first. The story keeps their attention and is a quick read.

This is a delightful book and with the tangrams it makes a great gift for a child.

When I came across this book, I was in the midst of planning for an Autumn Moon event. We are having a tangram craft, and the book contains great illustrations of animal tangrams. The story is very imaginative while leading you through a series of changing animal characters. Although simple reading, I think there is still appeal for children over the age of 7 because of the introduction of the ancient Chinese art of tangram puzzles. The book also contains instructions for making your own puzzles.

You can use this bbok to introduce parallel and perpendicular lines.

My 10 year old son read this book and also the first in the series and found them both a great read.

This is a brilliant read , a gripping combination of magic and adventure,I just couldn't put it down. It's darker than most books but with a storyline that keeps you reading.The main character in the story is seventeen year old wizard Seph Mc Cauley who causes a LOT of trouble(You'll see!) and is shunted from place to place and school to school until he comes to a new boarding school called the Havens. It does get a bit predictable towards the end but it's still fairly exciting and it leaves an opening for another book at the end.I would definitely recommend this for anyone aged thirteen and up who liked the Harry Potter series. (It is a lot darker than the Harry Potter books,just to let you know.)

Another great offering in the Heir series. Nicely ties in the characters we loved (and some we hated) from the first outstanding book in the series. Can't wait for the next one!!

The book The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima is one to read. The main character is Joseph McCauley but he goes by Seph. He is a untrained wizard without a family. He was raised by a women who has died and now he is at a brand new boarding school. But things are going well or are they? This book is kind of like Harry Potter meets Blue Bloods. Which are both other really good fantasy novels. The Wizard Heir is good at giving surprises around every other page. You never know what is going to happen next. That is my favorite kind of book. It did not take me long to read. This is one you pick up and can not put back down. Also you get very emotionally attached to the characters that at points you just want to jump into the book and do something about the problems. If you are looking for a book to read, I highly recommend this book. You enter a whole other world.

The book The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima is one to read. The main character is Joseph McCauley but he goes by Seph. He is a untrained wizard without a family. He was raised by a women who has died and now he is at a brand new boarding school. But things are going well or are they? This book is kind of like Harry Potter meets Blue Bloods. Which are both other really good fantasy novels. The Wizard Heir is good at giving surprises around every other page. You never know what is going to happen next. That is my favorite kind a book. It did not take me long to read. This is one you pick up and can not put back down. Also you get very emotionally attached to the characters that at points you just want to jump into the book and do something about the problems. If you are looking for a book to read, I highly recommend this book. You enter a whole other world.

Light My Fire is the third installment of the Guardian series, and pretty much the same as the first two despite a different location and "mystery." Although the reader is introduced to a few new characters, such as Drake's mother and two demon lords, most of the main characters return in this book. As usual, Aisling finds herself ignorantly blundering through various difficulties, while maintaining her usual innocent charm.

As several reviewers have noted, Aisling is still virtually ignorant of everything that has to do with the Otherworld, and yes, it is starting to wear a little thin. Up to this point, her ignorance and innocence has been charming and cute, but if she does not begin to gain some knowledge SOON, Aisling is simply going to become annoyingly stupid. That being said, the story is enjoyable and entertaining in a very light, humorous, and fun way, just as the first two books were. The dragons are still mysterious and complex enough to remain interesting. The reader gains some insight into both Jim and Rene that lets one understand them better and allow for great potential story lines. There is also a little on Drake's history that proves to be interesting.

There are a few other interesting things that have potential, but while interesting in this book, they could backfire and ruin the series in the future books. For example, Drake becomes more emotionally available and appears to truly care for Aisling, rather than simply lusting after her. However, there were times when it seems like he was simply becoming whipped, and losing what makes him Drake. Also, Aisling's "duties" are expanded, but she does not resolve any of the powers and responsibilities she has already attained. Aisling is already a Guardian, a wyvern's mate, and a demon lord, and has little if any control over or knowledge of any of them. If Aisling simply continues to acquire more responsibilities and powers without resolving any of the ones she currently has, the story might become overwhelming.

All-in-all, the book was as fun and humorous as the first two. If you want something that is light and entertaining then you will enjoy this, especially if you have enjoyed the first two installments of the series. However, if you are looking for a story that is deep and thought provoking, this is NOT the book for you.

Love Katie MacAlilster books. Who woulda' thunk to put a dragon in a mans form?! This whole series is fun, funny, adventurous and packs some sizzle.

I love this series. My favorite thus far was book 2. For me this book wasn't as good but I still enjoyed it. I did very much appreciate that we see Drake show more affection toward Aisling (by this I mean verbally affectionate). Okay Aisling forces it out of him because Drake is Mr. Wyvern. Those familiar with him will know he's a Mr. not much for words kind of guy. But that's one of the things that make him so sexy and intriguing. Aisling is her usual stubborn, quirky, and sexy self. Jim the demon dog is just flat out hilarious. And just like the 2nd book, there is a lot a stuff going on, you wonder how Ailsing manages.

The series is delightful and I high recommend the series. Can't wait to read the 4th book. I love Aisling and Drake.

When I first saw the YOU SLAY ME book (the first book in this series) and I read the outside of the book I didnt think I would enjoy it! Then I decided to read a couple of chapters since my sister had read a couple and said it was wonderful. As soon as I got into the 3rd chapter I was hoocked! Im most of the way through the last book. The 4th book in the series. Katie MacAlyster is a wonderful author and not just for children I am 25 and I love her books!

I have read the entire series. And, I'm pre-ordered on book #4. The books all seem to be so tongue in cheek...all of them are just good clean fun reading. Nothing serious...but, not fluff either.

I recommend this author. Everything so far has been a blast. I hope she keeps it up. Ya gotta love the dog...I've got two that are almost like him..minus the magic.

I'm in my late twenties and I love this book! I am a huge Tinkerbell fan and this book gives a glimpse into her make-believe world. The picures are gorgeous!

Purchased this for my daughter as a 5th birthday gift. She loves the disney fairy books, and this book gives detail to everything. The size of each fairy and her hobbies. The size of the home tree and all of the rooms. It goes on and on about the fairies (by name) and contains beautiful illustrations! Perfect gift for a little girl.

In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow, designed by Elizabeth Ryazantseva and Megan Krempels, is a gorgeous look at Tinker Bell's neighborhood. With text by Monique Peterson and lavish illustrations by The Disney Storybook Artists, the book details the hobbies, homes, and habits of different types of fairies that live in Never Never Land. This is a beautiful addition to any art-appreciative library, home or school, and a must-have for any Tinker Bell fan.

Both of my grandaughters (ages 10 and 7) are heavily into the Disney Fairies world. They loved the book. The illustrations are beautiful.

I love this book. I bought it for the younger kids who use the school library I work in, but my 8th graders won't give it up! They love it. A great book for all ages.

I read the first book in this series by Gail Martin, and thought 'eh, this is ok. It will do in a pinch.' So I read the second book cause it kills me inside to NOT know how a story ends. Well, not knowing almost seems like a fair trade for not having read this. Its a very sophmoric romance set in a Bland fantasy realm.
First - the author uses description to cover vast amounts of time. She'll cover weeks in the story with 'Tris spent the next couple weeks with his training blah, blah.' Why write this book if you don't want to tell the story.
Second - This book seems like a massive excuse to dwell on the authors vampire obssession. The vampires do not play a key part in the plot, but in this book take up almost as much time as the key players. Its pretty week.
Third - Gail Martin writes her Male characters as bland archtypes who fullfil her ideal of what men should be. This requires that they are 2 dimentional and unrealistic. Alot of female authors seem to have trouble writting in a convincing male voice. Gale Martin seems like shes not even trying. In the real world sometimes people make the right decicision for the wrong reason. Or Maybe even the Wrong decision for the right reason. Whereas the men in this book simply make the decisions that Gale Martin tells them to. and you can't really says she wrong because the characters aren't fleshed out enough to say that any of there actions Do or Do Not fit the character.

this whole series is just full of imagination and character.I mean she actually made the necromancer a good guy for once.Though i have read and reviwed many different books this one really caught my eye.Gail Martin deserves a big 5 for what she has put into it.

This book picks up where the first one, "The Summoner", left off. And unfortunately, it continues the trend of stale fantasy stereotypes. The characters are more three-dimensional than they were in the first book, but the overall impression is the same...predictability, clumsy prose, and poor continuity. The interpersonal interaction is dry and kitschy...I was constantly confronted with such overused medieval-style fantasy devices, depicted in such unimaginative ways, that I could swear I was reading a middle-schooler's creative writing project.

Once again, as in the first book, the only redeeming quality is the somewhat imaginative take on magic and magicians. Once again, it's not enough to convince me that I didn't waste my money. I understand that there's perhaps 2 more books planned for this series, and though I don't like leaving a story unfinished I'm seriously considering making this an exception.

This book picks up exactly where the first book ends. I liked the flow of the book. Each character had a nice little subplot that intertwined with the major story line. Once I picked up the book I had a hard time putting it down. For a book of 600+ pages I finished it quickly. If your a lover a fantasy you cannot help but to fall in love with this book.

First, let me give credit to where credit is due. The idea behind this story was good; it was interesting, new, etc. So props for that. Also, I have to admit that when I read the first book of this series, I did enjoy it quite a bit and thought she did a good job on it.

As for 'The Blood King', short of the cover art, there was nothing about this book that I enjoyed. The dialogue was disgusting, the scene's were poorly presented, the characters lacked any sort depth that I had thought they possessed in the first book, and there wasn't any flow to the book. I won't go as far as to say that it was more cut-and-paste (choppy) as Terry Goodkinds SoT series, but it ran a close second.

However, while Terry Goodkinds writing is horrendous, it was more difficult for me to make it through this book than it had been for me to make it through the Sword of Truth series.

Huge Dissapointment.