Tir Alainn trilogy book 2
ISBN: 9780451458506
I bought this book.

Shadows and Light brings readers back to a world of witches, magic and fae, and a growing evil that threatens them all.

By this book in the series readers know that the witches are really the descendants of the House of Gaian and that when a witch dies, slaughtered by the evil minions of jealousy and twisted magic, the tether to the magical fae land of Tir Alainn is broken and that part of the fae realm is lost.

This book strays from following the witch Ari as a primary character and instead travels with Aiden, The Bard, and Lyrra, The Muse, both exiled from the fae by Dianna and Lucian’s rage, as they try to convince the rest of the fae to save the witches to save their world. This volume also introduces new characters; Brianna and Liam, half siblings struggle to deal with each other as well as the evil creeping into their land; Ashke and Padrick, fae, and human world baron and baroness as well; and a collection of humans, fae, witches and other who are finding themselves forced to choose sides. Each character is compelling and interesting and likely could carry the story on their own. Combined it leads to an epic, large scale feel as readers form a solid picture of Bishop’s world.

Most interesting is Morag, the Gather, Death’s Mistress, the one fae with the power of life and death which sets her apart even from the other fae. It also puts her in the position of being the only one who can stop the rotten core of the Black Coats’ evil.

This volume also introduces the western fae, who never forgot their roots like Lucian and Dianna have and whole towns where fae and witch are synonymous with neighbor and friend.

Lyrra and Aiden are trying to make the adjustment from the eastern fae and their exile, to the western fae, who are guarded not because of the Bard and Muse’s intent but because of the reputation of the eastern fae. They set out on a search for the mysterious Hunter. He may be the only one with enough command and power to counter the damage Dianna and Lucian are doing that threatens to split the fae into their own civil war.

Again Bishop spins a fantastic world, rife with beauty, humor and danger, and populated by fleshy characters struggling to do what’s right. The heroism aspect in this volume is its only potential flaw. Despite the glory of Bishop’s world there is a very clear cut line between good and evil and characters fall on one side or the other, though some don’t realize the full extent of their actions.

The Tir Alainn trilogy remains one of my all-time favorite reads and has, several years after its release, stood up to repeated reads and still delivered a highly enjoyable reading experience.

Tir Alainn trilogy book 1
ISBN: 9780451458506
I bought this book.

Anne Bishop is a master world builder, bringing epic fantasy lands to life with a deft hand. In this trilogy the world is one of elemental magic, where fae and witches come to life and both are threatened by a sinister evil force.

In this first book in the trilogy a witch with the gifts of fire and earth gets trapped by a bit of hedge love magic and, trying to avoid being abused, swears to give herself to a mysterious stallion who shares a summer holiday with her. The stallion turns out to be Lucian, the fae Lord of Fire in his animal form. Curious about this woman who sought him as a friend rather than as a breeder, Lucian begins an affair with Ari.

In Tir Alainn, the fae are facing their own, much larger crisis. Whole sections of their enchanted land are vanishing, cut off by a mysterious misty nothingness. When Dianna, Lucian’s twin and The Huntress, discovers Ari is a witch, whom some of the stories and songs of the land blame for the growing evil in the world, she also begins to foster an interest in Ari, determined to save her home at any costs.

The truth of the lost places of Tir Alainn and a foul evil that’s spreading through the land, is far more complicated than Lucian, Dianna and Ari know. In this first book three sides are drawn, those for good, those for evil, and those whose egos drive their actions rather than their heads.

This is absolutely one of my favorite books. Bishop’s world is so thick and sensory that even though I read this for the first time when it was first published around 2002 I continue to read the triology over and over, nearly every year and have yet to tire of it.

Bishop’s only flaw is a skew toward “Women are beautiful and wonderful and men are wicked and cruel” themes, and of all her work this series balances it out the best. Despite great or little power, Bishop’s characters are real people, often gifted with a sense of humor which balances out the darker elements of the stories.

Here you will find neither damsels in distress nor super powered Janeways. The balance between male and female, good and evil are maintained delicately, but clearly, making this whole trilogy a pleasure to read and reread.

ISBN: 9780375814242
I bought this book.

Dahl’s name on a book, to me, is synonymous with a wild ride. James and the Giant Peach is quite possibly his craziest book (that I’ve read) so far.

Dahl’s penchant for abused children facing down a cruel world sets the scene, with James Henry Trotter (whose parents were gobbled up by a rhinoceros) living a lonely, miserable life in the cruel care of his aunts Spiker and Sponge (who are, of course, truly horrible people, even for Dahl’s worlds). Then one day a strange man appears and gives James magical green things, telling him to brew them into a tea and drink them and marvelous things will happen.

Parents will be close to screaming at this point, both because of the blatant abuse of the lead character and the danger of eating things strangers (and this man is indeed VERY strange) offer. Consider it an opportunity to have a talk or two about the serious subjects with your kids.

James accidentally trips and loses the green magical things, which burrow into the ground and instead work their magic on the few occupants of the horrible aunts’ pitiful garden. The strange man was right, though, and the peach tree somehow surviving in such a horrible place, grows a gigantic peach that serves as boat, meal and almost a secondary character in James’ voyage to freedom.

James and the Giant Peach is quite “out there”. In fact between giant bugs, sheer strangeness and outlandish extremism (and cloud people) James and the Giant Peach could fit into the bizarro genre, if it was commonly aimed at children readers.

There is some issue with language (“ass” is used several times) and the level of abuse James suffers that makes this book not for all families. But the underlying theme is one of taking your life into your own hands and choosing your own actions rather than letting the actions of others force you into things.

Dahl’s books might be of particular value to families and children struggling to cope with real life abuse and pain, as every story I’ve read so far has pit a mostly helpless child against forces entirely out of their control, and yet through thoughtfulness and great-heartedness wonderful things come to those who choose to live beyond the harshness of the world. Like many children found solace in the Harry Potter series after the death of a parent, some might also find solace and aid in coping from Dahl’s dark, but triumphant tales of recovery.

House of Night book 3
ISBN: 9780312360304
I purchased this book.

Chosen is the Empire Strikes Back of the Casts’ vampire finishing school series. Previously, Zoe Redbird was marked to become a vampyre, a favored person of the night goddess Nyx. Upon entering the House of Night she discovered an imbalance in the workings of the vampires and realized Nyx had charged her with fixing it. In book one Zoey takes on class queen and total meanie, Aphrodite. In book two Zoe learns that Aphrodite was not even close to the big bad of the series and something worse is going on, claiming fledgelings from the House of Night and turning them into something else.

In this third book Zoe now knows that the high priestess of the House of Night, and Zoe’s personal mentor, Neferet, is somehow behind her best friend’s transformation from an ordinary fledgeling into a full realized–something–with a red crescent mark instead of Nyx’s sapphire mark. But no matter how gifted she is, she is still a fledgeling and she’s facing a fully trained, intelligent and malicious adult whose hands are firmly wrapped around other people and other powers.

In addition, Zoey still is finding herself unable to let her human high school boyfriend go, unsure if it’s because she doesn’t want to let go of her human life, or because he’s the only source she has of fresh blood. When vampyre hottie and school poetry teacher Loren Blake starts making some serious moves on her, Zoey finds herself unable to even think or resist against his charms, despite her already complicated love life.

But she has to keep Loren, the red fledgelings and Stevie Rae secret from her best friends, risking their rage, because Neferet’s mind reading powers (which don’t work on Zoey) could put them all in danger. The only person Zoey has to talk to, the only other person immune to Neferet’s mind reading, is Aphrodite, who has been publicly humiliated and abandoned Nyx—according to Neferet. Zoey’s sudden trust of Aphrodite sits just as badly with her friends, prepping the House of Night crew for a show down that’s less magic and fighting and more tempers and ill-will.

Despite the amount of emotional turmoil in this book it manages to avoid being needless high drama. Also missing is the borderline preachiness some readers have found in previous installments of the series. The Casts keep a balance between the elements introduced previously in the series; Zoey’s family troubles, the mystery of the red fledglings, Neferet’s bipolar influences, Zoey’s struggles with her love life, and the battles of high school themselves; and still manage to move the overall plot forward..

If you haven’t read the series before, don’t start here because by this book readers should be well entrenched in the series to understand the importance of the climax and ending. It also helps, since book four is already available if you grab that one as well for a continuous flow of the overall storyline. Again, this is a fabulous dark urban fantasy series for readers who want dangerous and complex, but aren’t ready for the sexual and violent content of more adult series on shelves today.

House of Night book 2
ISBN: 9780312360283
I purchased this book.

Betrayed, the second book starring Zoey Redbird, recently marked by the goddess of the night, Nyx, and destined for great things, starts off with a thick, back story heavy first chapter that’s an example of the worst the Cast writing gets. Things appear shallow and skewed, with the misunderstood female-goddess-powered vampires facing off against the domineering, bone-headed male “People of Faith” (a cult of Christians) types. And with Zoey’s super special, empowered friends railing against meanies, while themselves being judgmental and snobbish.

But don’t stop there, because once the series and situation so far has been summed up the Casts move on to tell a completely different story.

Fresh off a victory over meanie, vampyre elitist Aphrodite, Zoey finds herself the leader of the elite House of Night school prep club/sorority the Dark Daughters and Sons. She immediately puts the people who helped her take the position from Aphrodite at her side as prefects as she struggles to make the club something more than the nasty, abusive thing it had become.

But Zoey doesn’t know it all, and isn’t exactly prepared to handle what Nyx starts to reveal to her. After much preparation Zoe’s first Full Moon ceremony as Priestess in training begins to go well, with her friends all showing an affinity for an element that makes them solid choices for the role Zoey has put them in (and it makes Zoey’s choice seem less like nepotism and more like foreshadowing, or even prophecy.)

But Fate—or something worse—takes Zoey’s best friend and roommate from her when Stevie Rae collapses after the ceremony and appears to fall prey to a failed Change (when a Marked teen’s body rejects the Change to a vampyre and instead, dies.) When Zoey’s semi-stalker ex-boyfriend Heath vanishes soon after Zoey is shocked to be given a vision which shows her Stevie Rae is responsible. To save Heath Zoey must tear away another layer of the mystery surrounding the House of Night, which leads her to the only person who seems to believe her and maybe even knows what is going on—Aphrodite.

What could very well be taken as a cliché tale of super special (underestimated) teens proving to the world how much better than ordinary they are instead becomes something else. Again Zoey represents a girl struggling to find her own place in the world, and in herself, when the people around her seem determined to ruin her or rule her. When everyone else says her instincts are wrong Zoey is forced to follow them, or lose people she loves.

Furthermore this book introduces additional complexity by showing that Dark doesn’t always mean evil and Light doesn’t always mean good. Actions speak louder than compliments, familiar roles and even religious affinity.

After the initial chapter, religious and female power overtones are relaxed and worked better into the tale, even to the point of glancing off the idea that only women getting “favored” by one god is as unfair as only men being “favored” by another. Even Zoey’s more annoying friends, Shaunee and Erin, are toned down while the plot is proceeding and take a stronger supporting, instead of agitating, role.

The plot as well is a nice mix elements that is similar to those seen in other well liked long running series, like the Harry Potter books. While there is, one can assume, one primary evil, it’s minions are many, and unexpected (by Zoey anyway). And the solution is never as easy as pointing and declaring “There’s the bad guy.” Instead the characters must weave their way through their destined conflicts, which even include their differences with each other.

Zoey’s voice keeps the darkness in check with wit, snark, a special kind of confidence, and determination. A good read for teens, and even adults still fighting with teen issues, Betrayed is a good, easy read that manages to keep some meat on its bones with out becoming either too heavy or too fluffy.