MISTWOOD
LEAH CYPESS
YA Paranormal
Greenwillow Books
ISBN# 9780061956997
320 pages
$16.99
Hardcover – Available April 27, 2010
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Travelling deep into the dangerous Mistwood, a young prince and soon to be king call upon an ancient power. Summoning and then binding Isabel to them, it would seem that all of their problems are now solved. Or are they?
Isabel is the Shifter, bound to protect the royalty of Samorna both with her strength and her mind. Immortal and able to take on any shape she chooses, the Shifter is a formidable weapon and great protection for a king in need. When Rokhan summons her and brings her back to the castle with him, however, Isabel soon learns that everything is not as it should be. Strong in character and wise beyond the appearance of her years, Isabel is a fantastic character with quite a bit of depth to her. This is easily a character one could follow throughout many stories as there always seems to be something new to discover about her.
Prince Rokhan, next in line to the throne after the death of his father, finds himself relying heavily on Isabel. Her powers and physical abilities should help protect his life while her mental capacity and experience advising past kings should help Rokhan lead his people well. With a strong desire to better his kingdom and rule wisely, Rokhan appears to have great potential. With Isabel at his side, he truly believes nothing can go wrong. Unfortunately for him, however, secrets rarely stay hidden and when his come to the surface, losing his crown may be the least of his worries.
MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess is a robust tale of royalty, deception, self-discovery, romance and a decent amount of the paranormal. As we follow Isabel throughout the story, we learn more about her and the memories that slowly come back to her. Snatches of memory and good reasoning skills allows Isabel to discover that Rokhan may not be who he truly seems although the compulsion of the Shifter magic forces her to protect him anyway. Uncovering more about Isabel and Rokhan, we find ourselves in the midst of deception. Full of sorcerers, princes, princesses, kings and the Shifter, MISTWOOD is a wonderful tale of magic and the strength of the human spirit.
Originally drawn to MISTWOOD by the beautiful cover, I was amazed at just how good the story was. Isabel is unlike many of the shape-shifters that we see nowadays. Ms. Cypess has done an amazing job of creating her own world and her own set of rules. What really made this book fantastic was how well she stuck to those rules. I have experienced many paranormal books where suddenly the characters could do things that had been impossible for them to do previously in the story. Here, Ms. Cypess gives Isabel her quirks and limitations while actually sticking to them. That made the story much more believable and realistic, which is great for something so full of magic.
Relationships played a major role in MISTWOOD. As Isabel learns more about herself and uncovers the truths about others, we see relationships grow and falter. This is more than a single week of time in the life of some girl. While not covering a huge expanse of time, this book does seem to cover quite a large expanse of events. Ms. Cypess does a fantastic job of allowing the story to ebb and flow throughout the book, giving us little mini adventures and allowing each event to come Isabel’s way to really shine. When I said that the story was robust, that really is the best way to describe it. MISTWOOD is a very full story with plenty of twists and turns. Every time it felt like the story was coming to a close, something else would happen that would keep our heroine constantly moving forward.
For me, the true test of a story is how long it stays in one’s mind after the final page has turned. With the plot twists throughout the book and especially at the end of the story, I believe MISTWOOD will stay with me for a while. This story is dark and mysterious, the lies surrounding Rokhan and the loss of Isabel’s memory aiding the mystical feel of the book. The way in which this book has fully wrapped around my mind is evidence of Ms. Cypess’s clear writing style and beautiful story development.
MISTWOOD was many years in the making and truly a work of art from Leah Cypess. Although this is her first published novel, she has written a number of other short stories. She can be found online at http://www.leahcypess.com/.
Cinnamon Brown
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
March 2010
Showing posts with label Greenwillow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenwillow. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Enchanting Review: Angry Management
ANGRY MANAGEMENT
CHRIS CRUTCHER
YA Contemporary
Greenwillow Books
ISBN# 978-0-06-050247
256 pages
$16.99
Hardcover--Available 6/30/2009
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Mr. Nak ties three novellas together. Mr. Nak is a counselor who has been hired by Global Community Health to help put a prevention program in place for three school districts. His students will include some who aren’t in the `direst of straits’ but have run into some tough luck or are emotionally fragile. He calls his group Angry Management in remembrance of Hudge, a former student, who called it that and gave in to suicide after his dad killed Hudge’s dog.
When Mr. Nak holds his first meeting with students, he meets Trey Chase, Montana West, Angus Bethune, Matt Miller, and Marcus James. After explaining what the group is about, Mr. Nak lets the group out early.
All of the stories deal with bigotry, prejudices, tolerance and freedom. In story one, 18 year old Sarah Byrnes, who was permanently disfigured by her abusive father, and Angus Bethune, another 18 year-old, with his unique family consisting of two homosexual couples try to find Sarah’s mother. In story two, Montana West, age 17, and Trey Chase, age 17, meet because of an article that Montana West has reluctantly agreed to do about the football team. They both learn that prejudices can be overcome and that some things are worth fighting for. In the third story Matt Miller, age 17, and Marcus James, age 17, cross paths because some bigoted students have hung a pink noose on Marcus’s locker. Marcus is both African American and homosexual. In standing up for Marcus right to be un-harassed at school in a bigoted town, the teens place themselves in danger.
First let me say that this was a page turner and I couldn’t put it down till I found out what happened to each character. It is difficult to do this complex book justice in a short review. The author has created a well written set of novellas that are suspenseful and challenge the reader to look at prejudices both internally and in the community. My favorite story was about Montana West because I like happy endings. That said, I value the other stories in this collection because they are thought provoking and make important comments on social prejudices while drawing the reader in to care deeply about what these teens are going through. I especially appreciated the information on ‘sundown towns’ since it allowed me to take a frank look at the town I live in and find that sadly it fits this profile. I would be proud to place a copy of this book on our local library shelf and give our local teens a chance to look at their world through other teens eyes. This book does contain some explicit language which is appropriate to the characters described.
Chris Crutcher is well known as an author, educator and family therapist. For more information or to contact Chris Crutcher check out his website at http://www.chriscrutcher.com/
Kathy Johnson
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
July 2009
CHRIS CRUTCHER
YA Contemporary
Greenwillow Books
ISBN# 978-0-06-050247
256 pages
$16.99
Hardcover--Available 6/30/2009
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Mr. Nak ties three novellas together. Mr. Nak is a counselor who has been hired by Global Community Health to help put a prevention program in place for three school districts. His students will include some who aren’t in the `direst of straits’ but have run into some tough luck or are emotionally fragile. He calls his group Angry Management in remembrance of Hudge, a former student, who called it that and gave in to suicide after his dad killed Hudge’s dog.
When Mr. Nak holds his first meeting with students, he meets Trey Chase, Montana West, Angus Bethune, Matt Miller, and Marcus James. After explaining what the group is about, Mr. Nak lets the group out early.
All of the stories deal with bigotry, prejudices, tolerance and freedom. In story one, 18 year old Sarah Byrnes, who was permanently disfigured by her abusive father, and Angus Bethune, another 18 year-old, with his unique family consisting of two homosexual couples try to find Sarah’s mother. In story two, Montana West, age 17, and Trey Chase, age 17, meet because of an article that Montana West has reluctantly agreed to do about the football team. They both learn that prejudices can be overcome and that some things are worth fighting for. In the third story Matt Miller, age 17, and Marcus James, age 17, cross paths because some bigoted students have hung a pink noose on Marcus’s locker. Marcus is both African American and homosexual. In standing up for Marcus right to be un-harassed at school in a bigoted town, the teens place themselves in danger.
First let me say that this was a page turner and I couldn’t put it down till I found out what happened to each character. It is difficult to do this complex book justice in a short review. The author has created a well written set of novellas that are suspenseful and challenge the reader to look at prejudices both internally and in the community. My favorite story was about Montana West because I like happy endings. That said, I value the other stories in this collection because they are thought provoking and make important comments on social prejudices while drawing the reader in to care deeply about what these teens are going through. I especially appreciated the information on ‘sundown towns’ since it allowed me to take a frank look at the town I live in and find that sadly it fits this profile. I would be proud to place a copy of this book on our local library shelf and give our local teens a chance to look at their world through other teens eyes. This book does contain some explicit language which is appropriate to the characters described.
Chris Crutcher is well known as an author, educator and family therapist. For more information or to contact Chris Crutcher check out his website at http://www.chriscrutcher.com/
Kathy Johnson
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
July 2009
Monday, October 6, 2008
Enchanting Review: Halloween Night
HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Written by Marjorie Dennis Murray
Illustrated by Brandon Dorman
Paranormal Children’s Book (Ages: 5 to 9)
Greenwillow
ISBN#9780061351860
40 Pages
$16.99
Hardcover—Available Now
Rating: 4.5 Enchantments
What a perfect book to read on HALLOWEEN NIGHT!
Similar in style to ‘The Night Before Christmas’ HALLOWEEN NIGHT tells the story of the witch’s preparations for her Halloween party, including contributions from Ogre and Olaf, the twin ogre brothers as all the witch’s friends pitch in to help everything together before the neighborhood guests to arrive. Bright colorful illustrations accompany the entertaining text.
You can see an excerpt of this bright and entertaining children’s book here:
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061351860/Halloween_Night/excerpt.aspx
A really fun read that everyone in the family will enjoy, HALLOWEEN NIGHT is a perfect read to kick off your own Halloween!
Marjorie Dennis Murray is a teacher of young children at a preschool in Pittsburgh. She is also the author of five other books for children, including Hippo Goes Bananas!, which was an IRA Children's Choice for 2007. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Brandon Dorman is the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Wizard, written by Jack Prelutsky. He received a degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University – Idaho. You can visit him online at http://www.brandondorman.com
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
August 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Enchanting Review: Cat Nights
CAT NIGHTS
JANE MANNING
Children’s (Ages 3-6)
Greenwillow
ISBN# 978-0-06-113888-1
Pages
$16.99
Hardcover-Available Now
Rating: 4 Enchantments
It’s Felicity the witch’s 263rd birthday. Not only will she grow her first wart, and her shoes begin to curl at her toes, but now she’s finally old enough that she can turn herself into a cat.
Even for a witch there are certain rules, including a witch can only change into a cat eight times and still be able to return to her witch form. The ninth time, she remains a cat. As you can guess, Felicity loves turning into a cat and does it eight times. Worried about her, her three witchy cousins cast a spell over her to detract her from turning into a cat, but it seems to backfire when Felicity becomes sad. Feeling bad, the cousins remove the spell. But will Felicity risk turning a cat on the ninth night and remain one forever?
CAT NIGHTS is a cute witchy story perfect for October and Halloween. The illustrations are fun and colorful and I really liked the story. Felicity is a fun little witch whose decision on whether or not to risk becoming a cat permanently has earned this book a place on my keeper shelf.
Browse inside CAT NIGHTS here: http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061138881
Jane Manning's spellbinding picture book takes its inspiration from the tale of the "Cat Nights" of late summer. From this legend comes the saying, "A cat has nine lives."
The artist has illustrated numerous books for children, including the national bestseller The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches, by Alice Low. Cat Nights is the first book she has both written and illustrated. Jane Manning lives in Deep River, Connecticut.
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2008
JANE MANNING
Children’s (Ages 3-6)
Greenwillow
ISBN# 978-0-06-113888-1
Pages
$16.99
Hardcover-Available Now
Rating: 4 Enchantments
It’s Felicity the witch’s 263rd birthday. Not only will she grow her first wart, and her shoes begin to curl at her toes, but now she’s finally old enough that she can turn herself into a cat.
Even for a witch there are certain rules, including a witch can only change into a cat eight times and still be able to return to her witch form. The ninth time, she remains a cat. As you can guess, Felicity loves turning into a cat and does it eight times. Worried about her, her three witchy cousins cast a spell over her to detract her from turning into a cat, but it seems to backfire when Felicity becomes sad. Feeling bad, the cousins remove the spell. But will Felicity risk turning a cat on the ninth night and remain one forever?
CAT NIGHTS is a cute witchy story perfect for October and Halloween. The illustrations are fun and colorful and I really liked the story. Felicity is a fun little witch whose decision on whether or not to risk becoming a cat permanently has earned this book a place on my keeper shelf.
Browse inside CAT NIGHTS here: http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061138881
Jane Manning's spellbinding picture book takes its inspiration from the tale of the "Cat Nights" of late summer. From this legend comes the saying, "A cat has nine lives."
The artist has illustrated numerous books for children, including the national bestseller The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches, by Alice Low. Cat Nights is the first book she has both written and illustrated. Jane Manning lives in Deep River, Connecticut.
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Enchanting Review: Do The Math: Secrets, Lies and Algebra
DO THE MATH: SECRETS, LIES, AND ALGEBRA
WENDY LICHTMAN
Contemporary Young Adult
GreenWillow
ISBN# 978-0061229572
183 pages
$16.99
Hardcover- Available Now
Rating: 3 Enchantments
Tess is an 8th grader who uses math to help her solve her problems. She has to great best friends who she gets along with pretty good and she has a hard time talking to boys-especially cute boys. Like other pre-teens she thinks her parents are weird.
One day Richard came into the copy room to make copies of a stolen history test and Tess let him. Apparently he passed them out to some of the other students. That’s the least of Tess’ problems. Her mother’s friend just committed suicide and Tess is convinced that her husband killed her. So Tess does the only thing she can think of. She tells her best friends her suspicions and follows the suspect.
Do the Math was such a cute mystery book. Tess was a believable character and had an original way of looking at the world. She used math to help her solve ordinary problems. I had fun reading this book and it had an original concept. I haven’t read any books that incorporate math problems in the story. The beginning of the book was too slow and the investigation didn’t really start until about halfway through the book. Tess also dealt with normal pre-teen problems and well as the crime she believes happened. Overall this was a really good book for pre-teens but older people will still enjoy it.
Wendy Lichtman writes essays for Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. She currently resides in Berkeley, California. You can visit her online at www.wendylichtman.com
Carolina
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2008
WENDY LICHTMAN
Contemporary Young Adult
GreenWillow
ISBN# 978-0061229572
183 pages
$16.99
Hardcover- Available Now
Rating: 3 Enchantments
Tess is an 8th grader who uses math to help her solve her problems. She has to great best friends who she gets along with pretty good and she has a hard time talking to boys-especially cute boys. Like other pre-teens she thinks her parents are weird.
One day Richard came into the copy room to make copies of a stolen history test and Tess let him. Apparently he passed them out to some of the other students. That’s the least of Tess’ problems. Her mother’s friend just committed suicide and Tess is convinced that her husband killed her. So Tess does the only thing she can think of. She tells her best friends her suspicions and follows the suspect.
Do the Math was such a cute mystery book. Tess was a believable character and had an original way of looking at the world. She used math to help her solve ordinary problems. I had fun reading this book and it had an original concept. I haven’t read any books that incorporate math problems in the story. The beginning of the book was too slow and the investigation didn’t really start until about halfway through the book. Tess also dealt with normal pre-teen problems and well as the crime she believes happened. Overall this was a really good book for pre-teens but older people will still enjoy it.
Wendy Lichtman writes essays for Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. She currently resides in Berkeley, California. You can visit her online at www.wendylichtman.com
Carolina
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2008
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