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Return to Exile Book Review and Giveaway
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Welcome to the Return to Exile Blog Tour!
Keep reading for my review of the first book in the Hunters Chronicles series, plus a giveaway of a signed copy of the book and bookmark. Also check out the book trailor below and the calender to check out the other blog tour websites for other reviews, interviews, and giveaways.
REVIEW:
Sky doesn't belong anywhere, not at home and not at school, and he has no idea why. Long nights wandering spent looking for something he cannot name have left his parents sensitive to the slightest abnormal behavior. Sky can't explain his behavior except for the 'little monster' he has in his head and the marks on his hands. But when his family returns to Exile without his Uncle Phineas and the black mark on his hand bleeds black blood, Sky knows something is very wrong, and he starts to realize that what he always assumed were made-up stories about monsters may very well be real. With the reluctant help of some teenage monster hunters, Sky sets out to find his Uncle Phineas and the answers he has been searching for his whole life, which may in the end, cost him his life.
Boy, once this story started moving, it moving rapidly. There is plenty of excitement and the underlying mystery of Sky's identity and what happened to him that makes so many people want him dead pervades the book from page one. The only real problem I had was with some of the explanations of how the world worked, I found them somewhat confusing. But this did not detract from the exciting events or the development of the characters. Sky is a really sympathetic character as he struggles to control his 'little monster' and then his struggles once he discovers some answers. This aspect of the story I found unique in that it adds some uncertainty about Sky and his past and his future. This will clearly be explored throughout the series.
I have to say that I'm not really a monster person. And this book has many monsters in it, despite that fact I found the book compelling and the different monsters intriguing. I also appreciated the fact that the monsters were not all evil as they are often portrayed. Some of these monsters, as Sky learns, aren't all bad, and even play an important role in Sky's search. I recommend the book for those who appreciate longer more detailed fantasies with great characters and an intricate plot that twists and turns. The numerous traps and puzzles make for a nice touch. I definitely will be reading the sequel.
Note: The sequel The Legend Thief comes out in December.
I have always had the strangest fascination with centaurs. I think it is because of the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony that I read when I was a kid. :-)
WE COULD BE HEROES by Margaret Finnegan Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-5344-5683-9 Source: ARC from Blue Slip Media (Thanks!) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Hank Hudson is in a bit of trouble. After an incident involving the boy’s bathroom and a terribly sad book his teacher is forcing them to read, Hank is left with a week’s suspension and a slightly charred hardcover—and, it turns out, the attention of new girl Maisie Huang. Maisie has been on the lookout for a kid with the meatballs to help her with a very important mission: Saving her neighbor’s dog, Booler. Booler has seizures, and his owner, Mr. Jorgensen, keeps him tied to a tree all day and night because of them. It’s enough to make Hank even sadder than that book does—he has autism, and he knows what it’s like to be treated poorly because of something that makes you different. But different is not less. And Hank is willing to get into even more
A TASTE FOR MONSTERS by Matthew J. Kirby Scholastic Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-545-81784-4 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA Speculative Fiction (Historical fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fear the living more than the dead. It’s London 1888, and Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the people of the city. Evelyn, a young woman disfigured by her dangerous work in a matchstick factory, who has nowhere to go, does not know what to make of her new position as a maid to the Elephant Man in the London Hospital. Evelyn wants to be locked away from the world, like he is, shut in from the filth and dangers of the streets. But in Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, she finds a gentle kindred who does not recoil from her and who understands her pain. When the murders begin, however, Joseph and Evelyn are haunted nightly by the ghosts of the Ripper’s dead, setting Evelyn on a path to facing her fears and uncovering humanity’s worst nightmares. RE
GHOSTS IN THE FOG: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple Scholastic Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-545-29654-0 Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction Grades 4 and up ABOUT THE BOOK Few know the story of the Japanese invasion of Alaska during World War II--until now. GHOSTS IN THE FOG is the first narrative nonfiction book for young adults to tell the riveting story of how the Japanese invaded and occupied the Aleutian Islands in Alaska during World War II. This fascinating little-known piece of American history is told from the point of view of the American civilians who were captured and taken prisoner, along with the American and Japanese soldiers who fought in one of the bloodiest battles of hand-to-hand combat during the war. Complete with more than 80 photographs throughout and first person accounts of this extraordinary event, GHOSTS IN THE FOG is sure to become a must-read for anyone interested in World War II and a perfect tie-in for the 70th annive
I love brownies (who doesn't want someone to clean their house?)
ReplyDeleteI like witches and wizards. Love Harry Potter! Thanks for the chance to win this book!
ReplyDeleteI love elfs, don't know why, just do. Thanks for the review and chance to win the book.
ReplyDeleteI have always had the strangest fascination with centaurs. I think it is because of the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony that I read when I was a kid. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, my favorite fantasy creatures are dragons, but only bad dragons. I don't care for talking, good-natured dragons. http://1000wrongs.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThis is hard to choose but I'm gonna go with Elfs from like Lord Of the Rings not keebler fudge!
ReplyDeleteIf a witch counts, that is my favorite. :)
ReplyDeleteI always liked the story of the YETI. :) It would've been nice to exist.
ReplyDeletexoxo