Trailer Tuesday (25)

This is quite the intriguing trailer - simple, to the point, and yet mysterious and edgy at the same time.  Also, the red swirls are beautiful and just a little eerie.  The Truth About Celia Frost will be coming out in August (according to Goodreads,) and I think I might just have to read it... What do you think of this trailer?

Review: The Limit

Matt never considered the possibility that his parents would mess up, spend too much money, and go over their debt limit.  But the unthinkable happened, and Matt was stolen away by the government to pay off his parents' debt.  His nightmares of a dank, dirty factory are unfounded, though; instead, he's in a beautiful building with a pool and a gym and the ability to order anything he can dream of, from food to clothes to a personal helicopter.  He quickly makes friends.  For the first time, his school is challenging him, and the "work" is mostly programming and math modeling - challenges he enjoys.  The workhouse seems to be a dream come true... but he can't shake the feeling that there's something more to it all.  And then, of course, there's the small matter that he will never be allowed to leave...

Entertainment: ★★★★

It was just plain entertaining.

Plot: ★★★

I thought the ending was pretty cheesy - I'm just going to say that upfront.

But, it was a fun, exciting, enjoyable story.  The action moved at a good pace, there was never any information- or world-building-overload, and I never got bored.

Characters: ★★★★

Matt was pretty cool.  He was intelligent, a little nerdy, and just fun.  The side characters were a little lackluster, but I was willing to forget that because I liked Matt so much.

Writing: ★★★★★

I enjoyed Landon's style very much.  It was simple, very effective, and entertaining.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.

Review: The Long Patrol

Tammo the young hare has spent his life dreaming of the glorious life of the Long Patrol, a group of hares that stand up for the rights of the weak and helpless and fight dashing battles against rats, weasels, ferrets, and all who threaten the peace and well-being of others.  He finds his shot at that 'glorious' life comes much sooner than expected when he is swept up in a war, a war against a vicious rat called Damug Warfang and his band of pirates.

Entertainment: ★★★

Although I felt the storyline should have been interesting, I just couldn't get into it.  Maybe it was the thick dialects of all the characters or maybe the fact that the story just moved slowly, but for whatever reason I never really got emotionally invested in the story.

Plot: ★★

It just dragged.  About 2/3 of the way through I read another book, just for a break.  And The Long Patrol is only a little over 300 pages long; I shouldn't need a break for a book that short.

Characters: ★★★★

It was odd, trying to hold a mental picture of characters that are everything from mice to hares to badgers to stoats, and are wearing clothes and waging wars and things like that.  Despite the initial species confusion, though, I actually liked a lot of the characters.  I didn't find the villains particularly scary - they seeemed to spend the majority of their time bumbling around making mistakes - but the protagonists were pretty cool.

My only real issue with them was this: all the characters were either heroes or villains, with no grey areas.  If you were born a rat, or weasel, or other "vermin" animal, you were evil with no questions asked.  Likewise all the hares and other good guys were all well-meaning and friendly.  This meant that there was no internal conflict, which made for much less interesting characters and a much less interesting story overall.

Writing: ★★

There are two major problems I have with Jacques: his descriptions of food, and his accents.  The food talk can go on for paragraphs and paragraphs at a time, often just listing the enormous variety of food available at any given meal.  I didn't feel that it contributed anything to the story, in fact I thought it slowed the book down a great deal for no good reason.

I also dislike the characters' accents.  They all speak very oddly, each species having its own hard-to-read speech.  The moles, for example, say things like "'Boo urr, 'taint natcheral t'be afloaten abowt loi this!' 'Hurr nay, oi'm afeared us'n's moight be a sinkin' unnder-water!'"  If you sound everything out phonetically it makes sense, but after reading a few pages of it I start to get headachy.  I think the accents could have been a lot subtler and still made their point.

End Result: three stars.  A decent book, but not amazingly excellent.

Wishlist Wednesday

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.


Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.


Everyone except Jenna Fox.

I think I was literally stunned when I first saw the cover - I mean, it's awesomeness personified!  Plus, the title is just amazing.  And then I read the description - yeah, I'm in love.  I literally cannot wait for this book to be published.  What do you think - will you be reading The Fox Inheritance when it comes out?

Character Tweets: Cursebusters!

A.B.:  Listen up, @Girlcakes! Be in the library at 2 sharp! With research in hand. #mayans  #uxmal #levitation

REENO: Oh, please! What is the mighty @Alpha Beast doing on Twitter? Forget about it. I am NOT doing your stupid errand.  #whatpartofnoetc

A.B.: I believe I mentioned the curse on your family, @Soldier.  I repeat, you must steal the book to remove the curse. #itsnotrocketscience

REENO: My head hurts @Furface. We’ve been over this, I…

A.B. @NOVICE! YOU WILL NOT CALL THE @ALPHA BEAST CUTE NAMES!  And you WILL recover the book.  #mayancodex

REENO: Hey, you can’t interrupt on Twitter!  And btw, did you just demote me? Never 

mind. I’m not doing it. No time-travel, no curse. #wormholes

A.B.: @Soldier. There IS a curse. Thus, you did time-travel. Ergo, you MUST time-travel to remove it. And to save the world.  #2012phenomenon

REENO: I’m promoted again? Is this like that movie where the kid has to time-travel to make his parents meet so he can be born? #backtothefuture

A.B. And yet,  @Girlette, he is already born.  #paradox

REENO: Know what, @A.B.? Actually I’d rather be burgling. But I do like the kids in the psychic club. Except for @Cooper Allingham.  He’s a bully.

A.B.:  The @Alpha Beast predicts that before the end of the book you will change your mind. #romanceisintheair

REENO: What book? What are you talking about? #CURSEBUSTERS!

A.B.: Listen up, @Girlface. The first rule of magic is this: As above, so below. #magic4dummies

REENO: Help! Meaning we’re in a book, but we’re also real? Is that another paradox? Oh, never mind. What’s up with @Cooper anyhow?

A.B.: Cursed, by any chance? BE. IN. THE. LIBRARY. WITH THE RESEARCH!

REENO: @Anyonewho’ll listen: I’d kill him, but what would be the point?  Unfortunately, He has 999,999 lives.

Trailer Tuesday (24)

Best - book - trailer - ever?!  I think so!  I don't care that it's two years old - I am seriously in love with this video, and I have to get my hands on Pastworld!

Well, I loved it to death - what did you think of this video?

Character Interview & Giveaway!

Don't forget to check out my review of Mumbo Jumbo Circus!  Now here's a fun interview with the star of the Mumbo Jumbo Circus - Evan!

How did you come to have the nickname Evan?

My mom named me Evanja Leane, at least I think it was my mom. I don’t really know. She was fifteen and I don’t remember her. Anyways, Evanja sounds like a trailer trash preacher, so I changed it. I don’t think of Evan as a boy’s name. Look at Evan Rachel Wood. She’s incredible.

What is your favorite (and/or least favorite) part of being in the circus?

My favorite part of the circus is just about everything. The circus is like a family, a theater troupe, and a traveling business. I love feeling a part of this cool thing that’s bigger than me. I wish there was a way to take baths more often though. Showers are great, but the Midway (the old Victorian mansion at the Funny Farm) needs to have bathtubs so we can have a good soak when we’re not on the road. I’ll speak to the Ringmaster about it.

Who's your favorite new circus friend? (Excluding Wally, of course.)

I’m getting to know Nan a bit better. She doesn’t open up very easily, but I’m trying to draw her out. I’m kinda jealous of her because she has her family all around. She was born to the circus. She says they drive her nuts, but I’m envious. I wonder what she would think if she knew that?

What are your plans for the future - do you think you'll stay with the circus forever?  Or do you have other dreams you'd like to explore as well?

I think the circus, this particular circus anyway, is the place for me! I'm working on getting my high school diploma. After that, then during the winters I can take some classes at the college two towns over. I'd like to take writing classes. Some of the younger clowns take classes there too. I’ll be able to catch rides with them. In their clown car. Not.

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Now do you want a chance to win your very own copy of Mumbo Jumbo Circus?

The contest will run for two weeks (that's June 6th through June 20th.)  It's US-address only (sorry, overseas readers.)  To enter, just leave a comment on this post!  Good luck :)