The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney

Title: The Seat of Magic 
Author: J. Kathleen Cheney 
Type: Novel  
Genre: Fantasy 
Series: Yes book 2 The Golden City 
Pages: 384 
Copyright: 2014 
Publisher: Roc  
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from good reads
Magical beings have been banned from the Golden City for decades, though many live there in secret. Now humans and nonhumans alike are in danger as evil stalks the streets, growing more powerful with every kill….

It’s been two weeks since Oriana Paredes was banished from the Golden City. Police consultant Duilio Ferreira, who himself has a talent he must keep secret, can’t escape the feeling that, though she’s supposedly returned home to her people, Oriana is in danger.

Adding to Duilio’s concerns is a string of recent murders in the city. Three victims have already been found, each without a mark upon her body. When a selkie under his brother’s protection goes missing, Duilio fears the killer is also targeting nonhuman prey.

To protect Oriana and uncover the truth, Duilio will have to risk revealing his own identity, put his trust in some unlikely allies, and consult a rare and malevolent text known as The Seat of Magic….

Feelings: 
I enjoyed the second in this series. I'm looking forward to the third when it comes out later this year. The last book did a good job wrapping up much of the conflict. This book picks up with one of the characters that is hinted to have a goal that is far reaching. This book continues with Duilio and Oriana's romance, yes this book is more pleasing as far as that goes, and their joint investigation into crimes against the nonhumans.

I really enjoy the nonhuman characters and the way the society seems to both fear and long to be them. Much of the fear comes from the fact that  the Prince is a little bit crazy and his seers tell him a nonhuman will kill him.

I recommend the book to those that enjoy a little mystery, myth, romance, and fantasy.

Fruits Basket Volume 9 by Natsuki Takaya

Title: Fruits Basket, Volume 9 
Author: Natsuki Takaya 
Type: Manga 
Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Yes, Vol. 9 of 23 
Pages: 198 
Copyright: 2005 
Publisher: TOKYOPOP Inc. 
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary: from Good Reads
Finally - summer has arrived! While Tohru struggles through bipolar days of hope and anxiety, what will happen when Yuki comes face-to-face with the new member of the student council? Meanwhile, who is that Uo-chan's hanging out with? Is she c-r-a-z-y in love? In a bonus feature, Hana-chan's past is finally disclosed!

Feelings:
Summer has arrived but they still have school work to do and we have a flash back to middle school with Hana-chan. I thought this volume built the characters and helped the reader see the changes in the main characters. There was a little less yelling from Kyo. We are also getting to know Shishou-san, the man who raised Kyo, better and see why Kyo lived with him and not with the Sohmas.

I'm ready for somethign to happen with Tohru's love life. Does she like Yuki or Kyo or are they just friends? It is obvious that they both like her but we don't know if she feels the same way towards one of them or not. It would be nice to know if she did. We do see Uo-chan meet someone and feel a connection with them, and from a later scene the reader assumes that this is a Sohma.

I have to admit that in the middle of volume 8 I got a bit bored and put it down for a while but this volume has me wanting to read the next. To bad I have to wait until I go to the library next.

Review: Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy 
Series: Yes book #1 in The Kanin Chronicles 
Pages: 321 
Copyright: 2014 
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from good reads
Bryn Aven is an outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Set apart by her heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved – begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she lose her heart in the process?

Feelings: 
Frostfire took a little while for me to start enjoying. Bryn is an interesting character and I was a bit confused by the troll and non-human element of the story. After an explanation, it made a lot more sense to me. I have been surprised that recently a lot of the books I have been reading have characters that are part siren and have gills so they can breath either under water or above water.

Bryn is determined that she is going to become a guard at the castle, and her job is her life. She has a past that has enforced her need to be alone and not lean on other people. I found the back-story engaging, and it added to the current story nicely.

I am looking forward to reading the next in the series when it comes out. I have one hope for he series, and that is that we don't end up with a love triangle which I could see happening. Why young adult seems to lean towards the love triangle. I don't know but I really hope this story doesn't do that.


Frostfire was an enjoyable read for me, and I recommend it to those who enjoy young adult fantasy with a first person narrative.

Many Moons by James Thurber

Title: Many Moons 
Author: James Thurber 
Type: Children's book 
Illustrator: Marc Simont 
Genre: Fiction 
Series: No 
Pages: 48 
Copyright: 1990 
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers 
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from good reads
Princess Lenore is ill from eating too many raspberry tarts. She believes that possessing the moon is the only thing that will cure her. Despite a command from the King, neither the Lord High Chamberlain nor the Royal Wizard nor the Royal Mathematician can get the moon for her. Only when the clever Court Jester consults the Princess herself is the problem solved -- with characteristic Thurber wit.

Feelings: 
This story while written for children was fun. I really enjoyed reading it. Princess Lenore is determined to have the moon and her father calls his wise men who all tell him different things. What I like is that the person we don't expect to come up with the solution is the one who solves the problem. The Jester asks the Princes and she tells him what she believes and that is what really matters. Perspective on different things are different for different people and this story shows that while we may not all agree we can all be right.

I recommend this story even for adults. It is a fun story and it has a something we can learn from it.

Fruits Basket Volume 8 by Natsuki Takaya

Title: Fruits Basket, Volume 8 
Author: Natsuki Takaya 
Type: Manga 
Genre: Shoujo 
Series: Yes, Vol. 8 of 23 
Pages: 202 
Copyright: 2005 
Publisher: TOKYOPOP Inc. 
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary: from Good Reads
Summer is on its way, so of course Tohru and friends are excited about the upcoming vacation and field trip. But what's that sound? It's Hatsuharu going beserk in the classroom... again! Black Haru is full of more rage than usual, so what will happen when Yuki intervenes? Meanwhile, Ritsu of the Sohma's hot spring resort shows up...but what's with her appearance?

Feelings:
This volume felt like it was a mix of lots of different things. There seemed to be three different things that happen in this volume. Haru has a fit and goes black and breaks a lot of stuff. This leads to back story as to why this happens. We get to see a bit more of the Sohma family through him.

Ritsu another member of the Sohma family comes to meet Tohru but Ritsu isn't exactly what he seems at first. Tuhru thinks he is a woman because of how he is dressed and ends up hugging him to keep him from breaking things in the kitchen.

Last we have the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo thinking about the parent teacher meetings and future goals. They are all struggling with what they want to put down as their goals and with who to have come as a guardian for them.

I thought this volume was interesting in that we get to see a little more of the struggle of the characters as they think about the future. What does the future hold is a question many younger people ask themselves and I thought that the questions raised in here were similar.

I'm still enjoying the series and would recommend it as an entry in to shoujo manga.

Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna

Title: Falling Sky 
Author: Rajan Khanna 
Type: Novel 
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy 
Series: No 
Pages: 255 
Copyright: 2014 
Publisher: Pry 
Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from good reads
Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back. 

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters--whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

Feelings: 
I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this book. There are sort of zombies but called Ferals that are humans who have lost their sanity and will kill other humans just because they can. If a human's skin is in contact with fluids from a Feral they become Feral themselves. A little like zombies.

I was surprised that I like this novel as much as I did but I enjoyed it. People live in floating cities to get away from the Ferals and to keep themselves safe. I found the story intriguing and the characters interesting. This was not a book that I would normally read. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction.