I have read several Patricia McKillip books and really enjoy the imagery and poetry of her books. The prequel to Solstice Wood, Winter Rose, is one of my favorite books by Patricia McKillip. Unfortunately, Solstice Wood did not meet my expectations.

The story takes place in a modern setting instead of a far off place and time. Sylvia is the distant descendant of Rois Melior from Winter Rose. Solstice Wood in turn is a distant descendant of Winter Rose. Instead of drawing me in, the story felt disconnected and remote. I couldn’t relate to the characters or feel their emotions in the way I have come to expect in Patricia Mckillip’s books.

The story is told from the viewpoint of several different characters adding to the disconnected feeling. Just when you start to get used to a character and the way the think and feel, the story switches gears and you have to start seeing things from the view of a different character. Because of this, you never really get attached to any one of the characters.

Solstice Wood was a disappointment when I was hoping for a story that would pull me in and make me feel the characters longing and hunger and anger and love. Try instead some of Patricia McKillip’s other books such as The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and Winter Rose.

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While not as humorous as his Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer presents an engaging story in Airman. Conor Brroekhart leads a charmed life with a princess for a best friend and a fellow aeronautics enthusiast as a teacher. Everything falls apart when Conor witnesses the murder of the king and gets sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

The story is captivating from the beginning, although it does slow and drag a bit in the middle. Conor spends far longer in prison than either he or the reader would like. Conor’s intelligence makes him a more likable character than some because he is not constantly making stupid mistakes and he is able to get himself out of the occasional mess. His stubbornness, on the other hand, gets a bit irritating.

The action is exciting and the plot interesting enough that even in it’s slower moments the book is hard to put down. It is a little predictable, but in a good way. A plot without a little predictability feels strange to the reader.

Airman is an enjoyable read. I’m usually turned off by historical fiction, but Airman feels almost more like science fiction than historical fiction. Lovers of both genres will enjoy this book.

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In the first Midnighters book, Jessica, along with the reader, was just discovering Midnight and her own special Midnight talent. In the second book, Jessica has come into her own. She is comfortable and confident in Midnight and in her relationship with Jonathon. This makes the second Midnighters book even more captivating than the first.

Jessica might feel safe at the start of this book, but it doesn’t last long. With the appearance of a human stalker, Jessica finds herself and her friends in danger by the end of the first chapter. The action keeps going from there. The introduction of human danger as well as darkling danger is an interesting twist that keeps the reader guessing.

Jessica and her friends make some interesting discoveries that are both enlightening and mystifying. They realize there is still a lot about midnight they don’t know, leaving the reader ready to continue on to the third book in the series to find out more.

Touching Darkness was fast moving and action packed with enough mystery to keep it intriguing. Scott Westerfeld knows how to write a finely crafted science-fiction novel, and his Midnighters series doesn’t disappoint.

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Night of the Soul Stealers: The Last Apprentice Book 3
by Joseph Delaney

The third book in Joseph Delaney’s The Last Apprentice series does not disappoint. Spook’s apprentice Thomas Ward travels with his master to their winter home, bringing the young witch Alice to stay at a farm nearby. While there Tom encounters stone-chuckers, feral lamia witches, and the Spook’s former love Meg, who is also a witch. There are enough creepy creatures to keep any young (or not so young) reader captivated.

The action starts building from the first chapter, climaxing when the Spook’s former apprentice, Morgon, tries to wake the winter god Golgoth. Tom stays smart and keeps his head through most of the book. But when he fails to tell the Spook or Alice about Morgon’s plan to steal the grimoire from the Spook, he finds himself in trouble.

This book has just the right amount of creepiness, suspense, and action. The characters are interesting and easy to relate to, even when they’re fighting witches and boggarts. It even has a touch of romance.

It was easy to get into this book and keep reading until the very end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Rent it here: Night of the Soul Stealer

The plot of this book, a romance between a regular girl and a vampire, holds some definite possibilities. But while this series is wildly popular and said to be highly suspenseful, I was disappointed. Bella, the main character, doesn’t even start thinking ‘vampire’ until a quarter of the way through the book. After the idea is suggested to her, she’s more intrigued than fearful. It would have been more interesting if she’d felt some fear mixed with her love for Edward the vampire. Instead, she just goes along with whatever Edward says or does.

Once Bella and Edward get together, their romance progresses quickly, which is a nice change from the slow beginning. Their romance is intriguing, taking into account all the drawbacks in a human/vampire relationship. Stephanie Meyer’s powerful descriptions help bring the romance to life for the reader. While the romance is interesting, there still isn’t much action.

The action finally picks up after Bella meets Edward’s family and stays steady until the end of the book. Even now, Bella spends a lot of time waiting around. It feels for a while as if the action is taking place somewhere else and we’re hearing about it second hand.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn’t one I couldn’t put down. If you’re looking for an interesting romance, this book has it. If you’re looking for action, look somewhere else.