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A Review of Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

5/30/2017

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves is a fun novel for those readers who enjoy alternative history stories.

Eves tells the story of Anna Arden, a non-magical member of the wealthy part of English society where magic is necessary to be seen as respectable. The only member of her family without magic, Anna somehow remains able to break curses or spells unintentionally, attracting the attention of The Circle, a group of magic wielders who control who has magic.

When Anna breaks the curse at her sister’s debut party and therefore shames her family, Anna is unhappily sent away with her grandmother to Hungary to wait until the chaos surrounding the incident calms. But in Hungary, Anna finds a world at the brink of rebellion: university students and Romani people fight for magic against The Circle who refuses to acknowledge them as worthy of magic. As Anna remains in Hungary, the people and the country become the home she always wanted but never found with her family in England. As rebellion flares into war, Anna must pick a side. Will she side with The Circle who claims to want people to be safe with magic or the rebellion who supports magic equality for all?

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Blood Rose Rebellion echoes a similar story within the young adult fiction community where government corruption, politics, rebellion, and special abilities mix. Fans of novels like Divergent by Veronica Roth or Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard will find something to like in this new addition to the genre. Though the topic may not be new, the additional element of alternative history added to the story may draw in some readers who are tired of the same old story. The novel primarily sets its location in 19th century Hungary, a time and place that is most likely unfamiliar to young readers. This will prove to either interest readers who more commonly run into novels set in more popular European countries like France or England or disinterest young readers entirely.

Readers may also find the main character, Anna, boring. Throughout the book, Anna is pulled between the wants her family and her society has for her, and what she wants for herself. The author attempts to transition Anna from being dependent on others to being dependent on herself, but never really succeeds. Anna’s behavior is understandable once the reader understands that the time period the story exists in does not allow for Anna to be independent. However, given the popularity of novels with strong female heroines, Anna’s character may prove irritating to some readers.

As a beginning book in a series, Blood Rose Rebellion has a lot of potential. The novel has much to please readers but will have to wait until the next book to see if the series sets itself apart from other popular YA novels.

Does it have a Young Adult Label?: Yes.

Favorite Quote: “Some rebels are made, not born.”

Recommended if you like: history, royalty, magic, rebellion, for fans of Divergent or Red Queen, romance, adventure, fantasy, politics

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A Review of Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

5/23/2017

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A National Book Award finalist, Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, makes fairytales come alive for readers of this fantastic tale.

Readers follow the ghost of Jacob Grimm and his charge Jeremy Johnson Johnson, the only person who it seems can hear his ghostly voice. Both isolated from the world in their own ways, they provide each other an opportunity to regain a piece of who they once were. However, one day, Jeremy is unexpectedly invited to the town bakery by Ginger Boultinghouse for the famous Prinsesstarta, a cake that will allegedly make anyone fall in love with the first thing a person sees upon eating the first bite. From this moment, a chain of unexpected events occur that will lead down a grim path that will prove that not all childhood tales have happy endings.

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For all that the story described seems fantastical, somehow McNeal is able to successfully pull off realism, mystery and fantasy all in one story. McNeal layers his story well: the fantasy elements of the story seem less like straight fantasy and more like every day magic where people discover the new in their daily life. The magic occurring in this book is one where love occurs in unexpected places and people stuck in their ways begin to change into someone new. In this way, McNeal’s writing does not isolate readers who are not necessarily fans of fairytales and enhances the story with the addition of an unexpected mystery.

Regrettably, the meat of the story is in the mystery, which only occurs towards the latter half of the book. Many readers will miss out on this addition if they are not immersed in the relationships McNeal creates between Jeremy, Jacob, and the rest of town characters enough to continue reading to the end of the book. McNeal builds these characters realistically and makes them so enjoyable that when the suspense arrives it seem like readers should have seen it coming from the beginning. Together with the unique narrator, Far Far Away is a great read for those already interested in Grimm fairytales or those who enjoy reading about the magic of everyday life.

Does it have a Young Adult Label?: No.

Favorite Quote: “He says all that happens when you go far, far away is that you discover you’ve brought yourself along.”

Recommended if you like: fairytales, ghosts, cakes, magic, game shows, mysterious disappearances, love, family, for fans of A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

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A Review of This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

5/9/2017

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This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel is a fascinating addition to the legendary story of Frankenstein.

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In this prequel into the apprenticeship of Dr. Frankenstein, Oppel constructs a brooding narrator in Victor Frankenstein, the younger of the Frankenstein twins, who is forever in his brother’s shadow. Nevertheless, the bond between Victor and Konrad is strong; even as they are uniquely different, they understand each other in a way only siblings can. So, when Konrad falls victim to a mysterious illness that evades even doctor’s understanding, Victor takes it upon himself to, against his father’s wishes, study alchemy in order to create the mysterious Elixir of Life that will save his brother and grant him the fame Victor has always wanted. With family friends, Elizabeth and Henry, to help him, Victor embarks upon an adventurous quest that will reveal long held secrets, sibling rivalry, and an unexpected darkness inside Victor that he must confront.

Oppel writes This Dark Endeavor from the lens of the Victorian period yet remains relatable and current for young readers. The author does not use the more difficult language of the period but keeps the darker subject matter that was present in the original book. Fans of period novels, the Victorian era, or even just the original story of Frankenstein will enjoy this addition to the mythology. Even if readers are unfamiliar with the story of Frankenstein, Oppel’s writing makes the hints toward the original story easily understandable. Even so, This Dark Endeavor is certain to interest fans of horror or mystery novels without being too scary to read at night.

Behind the fantasy of the novel lies an attention-grabbing conflict between the relationships of siblings. Young readers will relate to Victor’s struggle between loving his brother and being jealous for all that he has that Victor does not. At the center of this conflict is the relationship both boys have with Elizabeth, a charge in their father’s house and the girl that both brothers have a crush on. This Dark Endeavor has a purpose to show the dark and light side of human nature and is therefore used in a nonirritating way.

The combination of features that This Dark Endeavor provides makes a great read for many different types of readers but will be sure to leave readers wanting more of Victor Frankenstein’s unfortunate tale.

Does it have a Young Adult Label?: No.

Favorite Quote: “It was as though, in one moment, he had become a stranger. And I, a stranger to myself.”

Recommended if you like: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, alchemy, sibling rivalry, adventure, romance, mystery, Victorian Era,

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A Review of The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

5/1/2017

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The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh follows the simple life of William, an orphan boy who lives in a monastery under the watchful eye of the monks who live there. Tasked with gathering wood for the monastery, William finds himself in the woods and stumbles across an injured hob. William, ever a kind and understanding soul, takes the troll-like creature back to the monastery to nurse him back to the health with the help of Brother Snail, the only trustworthy and helpful monk in the monastery. But strange things start to happen: a foreboding presence is haunting the woods, a white raven appears to follow William, and strange visitors come to the Crowfield Monastery with a secret agenda. Suddenly, William is stuck in the middle of a battle against good and evil that will soon change his perspective on all he believes.

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Pat Walsh creates a helpless protagonist in the lead character, William. William has only questions and no answers to the many questions about himself and the strange occurrences that happen at the monastery throughout the novel. The reader will feel both pity for the unfortunate plot of William and frustrated at the lack of resolution to the questions Walsh’s writing supplies. Nevertheless, when some answers do come at the conclusion of the novel, they are backed by even more uncertainties which this reader is sure will make for an interesting read in the sequel, The Crowfield Demon.

The references in the novel to monastery life will be confusing for some readers, however Walsh never makes the writing outside middle grade reading level. The novel has a glossary for any terms that young readers would be unfamiliar with. With this advantage, readers will find the mix of history and the supernatural to be a fun mix and an enjoyable read.

Does it have a Young Adult Label?: No.

Recommended if you like: Mysterious forests, supernatural elements, books in a series, secrets, stories set in the past, fairytale creatures, mystery, fantasy, horror, magic

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Authors

We LOVE to read & our book bags are usually overflowing with our latest reads! Here are some reviews. Hope you enjoy them :)

Ms. Molloy and Ms. McCarthy

The Book Bag Blog

A Review of Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

A Review of Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

A Review of This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

A Review of The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

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