Tag Archives: fantasy

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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sixofcrows_leighbardugoIn the dark, murky alleyways of the merchant town of Ketterdam, a story begins to unfold with a crazy team and a perilous heist.  And, it all starts out in one of the biggest gangs, the Dregs.  Kaz Brekker, a cripple and the head of the Barrel, the hangout of the Dregs, is back at it again.  He receives an offer from Van Eck, a powerful merchant, describing a mission to kidnap a certain scientist.  And, not being able to resist the pile of money, he starts to pick out his team.

First, there is Inej, a young woman who has been traded in trafficking but whose freedom has been purchased.  Now, she serves as The Wraith, a great climber and spy.  And, though she is the right-hand (wo)man to Kaz, there may be other reasons she is joining the mission.  Inej’s character reminds me of the song, “Selecter” from James Bond.  The whole mood and rhythm of the song matches Inej’s outlook to each task she is given.  Next, Jesper, is a trick-shooter who cannot seem resist a game of poker.  His back story is slowly revealed as the heist unfurled.  Then, Matthais and Nena, a pair with an unknown story, have to work together once again, even as memories emerge from their past.  And, last, the newest member to join the gang, and the most cultured of them all, is Wylan.

If this novel was turned into a film, a leitmotif for it could be Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” for its strong espionage-like quality of music.  Due to the heist, whenever situations get tense, this theme would pop into my head.

Six of Crows was a crazy whirlwind of a book including an unforgettable heist.  The novel was entirely riveting between the obstacles they overcame and how each character grew.  I enthusiastically  give a 9.8/10 to this Leigh Bardugo story.  The only point deduction was the confusing introduction, which only proved to be a small bit useful later in the journey.  Be sure to check out this novel as well as the recently published, Crooked Kingdom (second in the sequel), as well as the Grisha trilogy!

-Maya S., 9th grade

Six of Crows is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded from Overdrive.

Book vs. Movie: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

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fantasticbeastsposterThe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was originally just a textbook in the Harry Potter series and, in the series, written by Newt Scamander. So, Rowling took this textbook and wrote it up (as Newt) for all of us Muggles to read. Rowling also wrote the film adaptation’s screenplay based on the textbook

The book is almost like a encyclopedia describing many of the beasts and creatures in Harry Potter. It also has “notes” written by Ron, Harry and Hermione. It is really cool book and it teaches you a little more about the creatures in Harry Potter.

The movie, however, is a completely different script written by J.K Rowling. It is about Newt Scamander who comes to America to research the one beast he has yet to see. But, one of his creatures gets out of his suitcase which results in him using magic in front a Muggle. This act gets him summoned before the Magical Congress of the Untied States of America (MACUSA) where he meets Porpetina and Queenie, two ministry workers. These two girls, Newt, and the Muggle Jacob end up having to hunt around the city for all of Newt’s lost creatures. Their search brings them in confrontation with a mysterious magical entity that is wreaking havoc in the city. It is revealed that Credence, an orphan under the care of a vindictive, magic-fearing woman bent of rooting out magic, created an Obscurus which manifested out of his hate for his adoptive mother. Newt and his gang were able to calm Credence down and stop him from wrecking any more of the city.  Within all this havoc Percival Graves, an Auror, is revealed to be the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald is disguise. This movie is a really great addition to the world of Harry Potter and it really gives you insight of the wizarding world in America.

The book and movie are both really wonderful and very enjoyable. The only elements they share are the named character Newt Scamander and many of the creatures mentioned in the original book. So, there really is not that much to compare because they are so different, one being an actual story while the other is more of a textbook. In fact, the script of the movie was a totally new story line written by Rowling.  I recommend reading the book and watching the movie to anyone who has the time.

-Ava G.

J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

Authors We Love: J.K. Rowling

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jkrowling_authorsweloveJ.K Rowling is my favorite author, by far. She is the author of the Harry Potter series including three short books designed to be textbooks from the Wizarding World. She also has written three adult crime fiction novels under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. She was born and raised in Britain with not a lot of money which influenced her to donate large sums of money after her publishing success.

She is famous for writing and creating the world of Harry Potter, a children’s series consisting of seven books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (also known as Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. These books are about a boy named Harry Potter who finds out that he is a wizard. Not just any wizard, the only wizard to be able to survive the forbidden killing curse, Avada Kedavra. As the books go along, you get to see Harry and his friends (know-it-all Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley) grow up, learn magic and progress through Hogwarts, the wizarding school. You see them struggle to try and defeat Voldermort and his followers called Death Eaters who, are pretty much trying to take over the wizarding world. In the books Rowling throws in sudden twists and turns that keep you captivated and makes you not want to put the books down.

Outside of the novels, Rowling penned three mini novels that were referenced in the series. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a textbook written by Newt Scamander and it describes many types of magical creatures in the wizarding world. This book, previously “owned” by Harry, Ron, and Hermione has notes about the all the creatures written in the margins. Rowling also wrote a storyline based on some of the ideas in the book which is soon to be released as a feature film.

The Tales of Beetle the Bard is a compilation of stories meant to be an in-universe collection for children. All the stories, are all unique in its own way. The version of the book sold, had pages of notes that are said to be written by Dumbledore.

Quidditch Through the Ages in Harry Potter, is an informational book about the history and rules of Quidditch. Reading this offers an in-depth explanation of how Quidditch was created by withces and wizards and how the game works.

J.K. Rowling, is an amazing author. The books she has written are just so captivating and well written. I really enjoyed reading her works and I hope everyone likes it just as much as I do.

-Ava G.

Webtoon Review: Flow by Honey B

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Magic is normal. Rather, being born under a god is the norm. Some gods are weaker, others are stronger. To be born under a weak god means a lesser chance in both education and society, but a strong god means high school and training which later equals a higher status. There is only one thing in common. All of them can grant a single wish as long as the correct price is paid.

Yun Lee-Rang is a child of the cat. Not particularly bad but not strong enough for high school. His childhood friends, Suh Yul-Bi and Hong Ryun, are a pigeon and dragon respectively. Ryun, as he is a dragon, attends high school. Lee-Rang works with Yul-Bi in a delivery restaurant. He is satisfied with his life and has a crush on Yul-Bi. One day, when he is out on a delivery, Lee-Rang is severely beaten by students from a nearby high school, leaving him blind and paralyzed. Filled with despair, he wishes to turn back time. His cat god asks if he is sure and the answer is “yes.” It is done, but what Lee-Rang finds is that not only has he changed his fate but lives of everyone else. In this new timeline, Yul-Bi dies. Suddenly, the principal of Ryun’s high school invites Lee-Rang to enter his high school. Lee-Rang accepts in the hopes that he will learn to turn time again. This new timeline opens doors that shouldn’t have been opened and Lee-Rang learns that what is seen is not always what it is.

This is one of the earliest webtoons I have read and I have found it refreshing. It has a new twist to a power concept I have seen several times. There is a rollercoaster, which this webtoon takes you. There are the crazy light hearted monuments to the darkest of the dark time. The character are well developed and the changes in Lee-Rung personality and maturity is certainly strong. The artwork is simply beautiful. As webtoons are primarily released as color strips online (hence the name) artist have the opportunity to mix art styles and colors. Honey B uses a more realistic styles for the gods compared the the characters creating a incredible contrast.

It has been completed and the ending my opinion is quite satisfying. Of course, I cannot say that for you so why don’t you read it for yourself.

This webtoon is licensed by Line Webtoon and is free to read online.

-Sarah J., 11th Grade

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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Jacob used to believe in his grandfather’s stories. Stories of children who could lift boulders, be invisible. Stories of his grandfather fighting monsters, those that will one day be after him. Not anymore. Jacob doesn’t believe in them now that he’s in high school. The monsters? WWII nightmares of the Nazis. The children? Those photos were obviously faked.

He didn’t believe in them again until he saw a monster with tentacles killing his grandfather. But that couldn’t have been real, right? No way monsters were real, just like everyone said around him. But the more he dug into his grandfather’s stuff, the more he believed his grandfather.

He found out that his grandfather used to live on an island off Britain. He convinced his father to go there, and found that his grandfather’s stories were true. A land stuck in 1940, where every day is paradise, and no one ever dies. A place that can hold “peculiars”, children with powers, and keep them safe. And he met an invisible boy, a girl who could fly, and a pretty girl who could control fire, all who knew his grandfather. But he soon learned that if the children are real, the monsters must be too.

I really liked this book, and the sequels after it. Not only did Riggs create a remarkable tale just from looking at pictures, but adding the pictures made the characters seem more real. Jacob is your typical teenage boy, so he has a very funny side, especially when talking to the peculiars about the modern world, such as about email. Additionally, the plot is very well done and intriguing, with well depth ideas about the consequences of time travel and relative nature of crazy.

The powers of the peculiars are also all very interesting, with Hugh’s bees and Howard’s prophetic dream power. Also, there is also a bit of a feminist theme, as the leaders of the Ymbryne are all women, with men not having the ability to be leaders, which is the opposite as of on Earth. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes the idea of women being in power above men, time travel, craziness, fantasy, or historical fiction.

-Megan V., 11th Grade

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

Twin Star Exorcists (Sousei no Onmyouji) by Yoshiaki Sukeno

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In every story, there are elements and themes that are often repeated but twisted in such a way that readers know what to expect while sitting on the edge of their seats. These elements may include the typical multiple girls liking the hero, an awesome heroine, a ditzy heroine, a kind of scary father in law, an anti-villian/anti-hero, or an evil brother. Oh, and did I mention the atypical manga “main heroine somehow ends up in the most awkward moments with the hero” trope? How about the “pervert teacher ends up to be actually super powerful”? Or the “government is evil and has ulterior motives”?

That’s what Twin Star Exorcists is all about: with mixes of manga Kekkaishi, Flame of Recca, and Blue Exorcist, young fourteen year Rokuro is trying to fight his destiny against becoming an “exorcist”.

Although Rokuro is actually very good at being an exorcist, a profession that works with destroying the “impurities” (monsters created by human’s dark desires/nightmares), he wants no part in it. That is, until he meets a girl about his age, named Benio, who hits him after falling from the sky. Then, because of a prophecy, he’s told by the perverted head of the exorcists that they have to marry and have the child that will supposedly get rid of all the impurities. However, he absolutely hates her. Mostly because she too wants to be an exorcist and is absolutely annoying to him.

Typical plot tropes aside, Sukeno weaves a fantastic tale from familiar themes that readers get excited about, such as the ditzy heroine being useless but wanting to root for her because of her determination. Additionally, the manga is a hilarious comedy, with one heroine just calmly being a kuudere (someone who is cold and indifferent to others) and the other getting mad all the time.

The best thing about the manga is the incredibly beautiful artwork. Sukeno makes great use of contrasts with black ink and white paper, and even a lot of gray, creating beautiful openings and amazingly drawn and colored fight scenes.

The manga has an excellent plot line that is easy to follow and beautifully drawn characters (although unfortunately, at least in my opinion, the recent anime doesn’t do it justice). Although there are only a few volumes out, it is an extremely recommended read for one wanting to try something new.

-Megan V, 10th grade

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

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mistborn_brandonsandersonImagine a world without a sun. Where mysterious wraiths roam around in the constant mists. Where most of the population is controlled by a group of uptight nobles and a dark ruler. This is just part of everyday life for Vin, a girl abandoned to a thieving crew by her older brother at a young age. In this life, she must struggle to survive, occasionally calling on her strange, mythical Luck, an ability that allows her to soften the emotions of others. However, this all changes when a strange man wielding similar powers named Kelsier finds her with an insane plan to overthrow the oppressive Final Empire.

This is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It takes you on a wondrous adventure through the possibilities of a dark future, and the constant presence of the true strength that all humans wield. More than anything else, though, Mistborn really goes into detail about the different aspects of the human personality, including who you can trust and whether or not it’s a good thing. In fact, the author, Brandon Sanderson, also wrote The Reckoners series, which goes just as deeply into the human psyche. Mistborn was given to me by a good friend and actually helped me get through some hard stuff going on in my life because it truly illustrates the point: there’s always something you can do.

This book should mostly appeal to teens (high school or middle)  who need a little motivation in their lives. I would not, however, recommend this story for younger audiences as it is not appropriate and mentions some “iffy” topics not suited for children under 12-13. This is not a quick read but it is worth 33 AR points! A very worthwhile read, however.

-Evan G., 7th grade

Mistborn is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

 

Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Dawn) by Mizuho Kusanagi

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Yona is a typical sixteen year old princess who has grown up with sheltered from the world. She is naïve, stubborn, hates her red hair, and can have anything she wants. Yona is in love with her cousin Soowon and doesn’t know her  annoying bodyguard Hak, who is strong at absolutely everything, has feelings for her. She dreams of marrying Soowon one day, and having Hak as her bodyguard forever.

This all changes when she discovers Soowon murdering her peace loving father.

Now, Yona has to escape with Hak and find the legendary four men with the powers of a dragon, who have said to inherited power that assisted the legendary great king with red hair.

Problem is, would these dragons want to cooperate? And if so, would she still want to kill Soowon when she finds them all?

This manga is amazing. Not only does the series live up to its expectations with politics and revenge, but there is a lot of amazing comic relief at the most random of times. For example, Yona is complaining about her hair in the first chapter. Her father asks Hak to cheer her up, and Hak replies that there’s nothing wrong with her hair, but rather her head instead.

Additionally, I love how the author does some really great character transformation on Yona. She learns a lot in her journeys, and goes from weak little girl to strong warrior princess that helps her kingdom, which is really a big change that is not often shown in a main character.

All in all, this manga is a very awesome one to read and very recommended.

-Megan V., 10th grade

Soundless by Richelle Mead

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soundless_richellemeadHave you ever read a book where none of the characters speak to one another? In Soundless, no one speaks in a little village atop of a mountain because everyone has gone deaf from mining operations.

There are only three social classes on the mountain: artists, servants, and miners. If you don’t do your job, you won’t get meals. The only way the village survives is from food provided by zipline. There used to be a path that went down the side of the mountain, but that is impassable because of falling rocks no one can hear. To make things worse, the villagers are going blind as well, which can be dangerous in the mines.

Then one day, an artist girl named Fei suddenly develops the ability to hear. With the zipline providing less and less food, the village is desperate for a miracle. The artist girl and a miner boy take a trip down to the bottom of the mountain, but what they find will change life in their little village forever.

This book begins with a slight dystopian feel presented by its social class hierarchy. People are not allowed to marry out of their career choice, but this isn’t the main conflict of the story. As Fei and her friend climb down the mountain, there is a sense of adventure seen in fantasy novels with some romance mixed in.

The ending felt a little out of place, but on the whole, it was just felt like a different book, incorporating Chinese folklore as well as how everyone communicated using sign language. A very interesting read.

-Nicole G.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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carryon_rainbowrowellMost books are about fictional characters. Not many books, I feel, are about fictional-fictional characters. The story for Carry On follows the magical world of Simon Snow – the source of fanfiction for Cath in Rowell’s previous novel, Fangirl (which is also very good, you should read that). The whole thing sounds a bit complicated and I haven’t even begun talking about the plot.

The book takes place in Simon’s last year at his magical boarding school. It feels as though this is the last book in the series as if there could have been a book following each of Simon’s years at the Watford, but Rowell does an amazing job of giving the reader enough information while still maintaining a layer of mystery. Besides the beautiful storytelling, it would be impossible to read this book and not compare it, at least a little, to Harry Potter. The main character is the chosen one brought up in the normal world, prophesized to appear when the world needed him most, and goes to a magical boarding school during the year only to be forced to live in the normal world during the summer holiday. Oh, and both take place in England. But beyond that circumstantial similarities, Carry On really stands out as its own book.

The plot is rich, the characters all very distinct (Penny is my personal favorite) and not everything goes as expected. The magic world of mages is weird and different, but with just enough familiarity (the use of electronics for instance) to not make it seem too otherworldly. The story’s main antagonist, the Insidious Humdrum, is a pretty good villain despite the ridiculous name.

I don’t want to say much more because this is a book you want to go into without any spoilers. I got completely sucked into the story. There are some changes in perspective, all in the first person, but I never had trouble discerning who was who. If you are looking for a new magical boarding school book that is truly amazing, keep calm look no further than Carry On.

-Nicole G., 12th Grade

Carry On is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library.