The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

This is a spur of the moment book/series review, but this is my favorite series of all time. I figured I need to somehow spread the word about these wonderful books. Andrew Peterson is a talented story teller. His books are full of humor, lovable characters, and frightening never-before heard of creatures such as toothy cows and thwaps. The books are not just all fun and humor, but offer a beautiful and sacrificial story about growing up and assuming the responsibilities we've been given in life. Janner, Tink, and Leeli have much to learn, but will teach readers much more in the end.

There are four books all total, and although the first book starts out slow, the story only climbs from there. This may be the only series I've read where each book is better than the one before it. The books are extremely clean and are appropriate and enjoyable for almost any age. I personally hope to read them out loud to my kids someday.

Five Stars!

If you want to read more about each book, here's a link to the website: http://wingfeathersaga.com/books-2/

The Underland Chronicles

When I first discovered The Underland Chronicles at my local library I was very pleased. Seeing that they were written for a young age and fantasy I assumed they would be interesting, like Suzanne Collin's other books, The Hunger Games, but probably less depressing. At the end of book one I decided they weren't as light weight as I had anticipated. By the end of book three I knew they were not going to end happily-ever-after. By the end of book five, the end of the series, I was entirely convinced that Collin's was incapable of writing something which does not make me cry. I tried to tell myself that I was just grieving for a rat, a bat, and a cockroach, and aside from that they were completely fictional but... I felt like bawling anyway.

Meet Gregor, an eleven year old New York City kid with two sisters, a haggard mother, and a bedridden grandmother. Gregor is just your average kid with an unaverage secret: His father went missing two years ago and though neighbors whisper, Gregor knows he would have never left the family. Then one day, Gregor takes his two year old sister, “Boots”, down to the apartment building's laundry room and watches in horror as his baby sister falls head over heals down the laundry duct. Making a mad grab at a falling sandle, Gregor too, drops through into a land of giant bugs, rodents twice his size, bats as large as small airplanes and...nearly see-through humans called the Regalians. Thinking his life could not get much more horrifying Gregor soon learns that he has a bigger purpose in the Underland than simply rescuing his sister. An ancient Regalian prophecy, carved into the palace's stone wall seems to point to Gregor as the human's savior, a person referred to in the writings as “the warrior”.

My opinion:

Book 1/Gregor the Overlander: Why can't the Regalian's just let the poor kid take his baby sister home?But no, they claim he is the “warrior” and therefore has a purpose in the Underland. The book is interesting and, despite the fact that it's fantasy, it is surprisingly realistic.

Book 2/Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: And Gregor is back in the Underland, a place he never wanted to see again. Things are not all peachy there either and Gregor is sent on a mission to fulfill another prophecy. That book ends on a cliff hanger. Gregor is disgraced, nearly everyone he loves is either missing or in fear for their lives and I can not wait to get to the library and get book three.

Book 3/Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods: Gregor knows he has to go back to the Underland, this time to save all mammals, not just the humans. But his understandably frazzled mother flatly refuses. She insists that they are moving to Virginia and away from a place that could kill her children. When a rather forceful escort it sent to the Overland she finally agrees to let Gregor and Boots descend again, on the condition that she accompanies them. Things start getting desperate however when she herself contracts the dreaded plague known as “The Curse of the Warmbloods”. By the end of this book I was thinking it was time Collin's ramped up the story line. It was beginning to feel drug out.

Book 4/Gregor and the Marks of Secret: Wish granted. Gregor sneaks off on a “picnic” which quickly turns into a long and dangerous adventure. Oh, and while Collin's is hitting the climax of her story she decided to add in a tiny bit of romance...between two twelve year olds. Granted it is a minor part of the story and despite their age they are given the responsibility of an adult but still, it is rather ridiculous. The book ends with a reference to a prophecy which foretells Gregor's death.

Book 5/ Gregor and the Code of the Claw: I read this book in just a few hours. Everyone you love dies. Well, not quite everyone, but the book ends leaving you mourning for at least one human, several rats, a mouse or two, one cockroach, and multiple bats. And while we are feeling depressed, Gregor and his whole family now have PTSD.

Overall I enjoyed these books immensely. Collin's is a fascinating writer and very true to life. As much as you want the books to end happily-ever-after, they can't. Some final, and traumatic thing must decided whether Gregor stays in the war torn Underland or returns to the questioning Overland forever. Naturally the horror of that event, as well as many other things both Gregor and his family have now witnessed scar them forever and they are left with nightmares, unpredictable panic attacks, and overall weakness of mind and body. A rather sad end but I felt that is was fitting. It had to happen that way or the rest of the books were seem trite and like a childish fairytale.

The only things I did not care for were the occasional references to evolution and the romance. Aside from that the books had zero language and nothing inappropriate. They are written for young tweens but enjoyable for all ages, even my nearly sixty year old mother is currently sucked into them!

Four Stars; Recommended for ages 10 and up.

The False Prince

The False Prince: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Summary: In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together. (From Goodreads)

Pro's: This book was brilliantly written. Even though it is written in first person and you feel like you know the main character very well, then ending is a big surprise! The storyline is original and fast moving. Though I didn't feel like the book had a strong overall point there were a few minor lessons I greatly appriciated.

Con's: Even though I only read this book last week I have forgotten some details. I do not specifically remember any language or inappropriate passages but I think there were one or two minor ones.

I was not aware until just a few minutes ago that this was the first book in a trilogy. I look forward to reading the others! (Assuming my library has them.)

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

By Darkness Hid

By Darkness Hid - Jill Williamson

Summary from Amazon.com (Sorry, I'm lazy today): Given the chance to train as a squire, kitchen servant Achan Cham hopes to pull himself out of his pitiful life and become a Kingsguard Knight. When Achan's owner learns of his training, he forces Achan to spar with the Crown Prince--more of a death sentence than an honor. Meanwhile, strange voices in Achan's head cause him to fear he's going mad. While escorting the prince to a council presentation, their convoy is attacked. Achan is wounded and arrested, but escapes from prison--only to discover a secret about himself he never believed possible.

Cons: 
I can't think of any at the moment...

Pros:
Jill Williamson's writing is beautiful, and the Christian messages are strong. I encourage all who love knights and castles to read this book and the following two. It's packed with action, fun characters, and life lessons for everyone. The first book will leave you dying to read the next two. I actually listened to this whole book and the second book on Jill Williamson's website. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but buy the third one after listening to the others. So, be warned. :) My siblings have all enjoyed listening to and reading these books. We still talk about them and laugh about all the funny parts and characters. You don't easily forget the characters. They stick in your memory like real people. The author did a wonderful job at making them like real people, with flaws, senses of humor, longings, and dreams. I would suggest this book to readers ages 12 & up.