review: Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

pub date: May 1, 2012
publisher: Dial
pages: 545
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
appeals: it's a continuation of Cashore's Graceling.
content: violence, innuendo, a lot of boring parts

thoughts:
I loved the book Graceling when I read it years ago. Fire, meh. I was intrigued with Bitterblue because I wanted to read about the little princess from Graceling. I was happy when I received the copy from LibraryThing, until I saw how big it was. Did you see the page count? Five-hundred-forty-five pages! A very Looooong five-hundred-forty-five pages.

I would like to say the reason I didn't enjoy the book much was because it was all so political. Bitterblue is queen of Monsea, trying to navigate a kingdom that has been deeply scarred by her father's rule. There is so much politic that I found the story Tedious to read. Yet one of my all time favorite books is The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner and that book is full of politics. I've read it at least five times, and I've never been bored with Gen's story. But Bitterblue's? A snooze fest. Maybe not the politics so much?

Maybe the fact that I didn't care for Bitterblue? I didn't dislike her, but I didn't love her either. Maybe her impossible romance with a romantic interest that I wasn't too thrilled with, either? Maybe the mystery that wasn't even a mystery until half way through and when it was apparent, kept going in circles, round and round, but never actually went anywhere? Maybe the nonexistent plot? Whatever it was, this book wasn't all that interesting to me.

Add to all of that how much I got sick of Leck and his history and Bitterblue's determination to learn more about how wicked Leck was. There were times Leck seemed like the main character of this story, not Bitterblue.

I must say that I thought the actual writing stellar, like always. Cashore is an amazing storyteller, even when the story she's telling isn't all that interesting. And she did a great job giving reminders for what happened in Graceling for those readers who read it years ago (like me), without going overboard. (Except for all of that about Leck, of course).

When I keep reading books that I should really just give up on, I have to wonder why I keep reading them. Sometimes, like in this case, I just feel like I have to complete it so I can check it off my list. And, when I get a copy for review like I did Bitterblue, it makes me that much more compelled to keep going. I really need to learn how to stop. Especially when the book is five-hundred-forty-five-freakin pages (too) long.

summary:
Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart

review: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

pub date: May 8, 2012
publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
pages: 305
appeals: fairy tale retelling, romance, fantasy
content: clean

thoughts:
I have a stack of ARCs and I picked this one up because it was short. But the moment I read those first few pages, it grabbed my attention. It had a fun, light tone and there was a talking frog. How great! However, my attention was soon lost. In three words: I got bored.

The premise of the book is fun. In Sunday's (that's our main protag) world, fairy tales are reality. She and her family take part in a whole slew of different tales, most importantly the Princess and the Frog. It was interesting to see how everything connected, and there was a lot of original story involved, too, notably at the end.  Yet however fun and original the story concept...it just didn't work for me. It was too cluttered, too much going on and not enough character development.

Like I mentioned earlier, I got bored. I didn't care much for the characters. I didn't feel invested in their stories and how those stories would end. Mostly, I didn't like the love interest, Prince Rumbold. I found him bland and weak and boring. Which made it hard for me to care if Sunday would get a kiss at the end of the book.

I made myself pick this book up on numerous occasions even when I didn't want to. Not sure why. I should have left it unfinished, but I guess I cared enough to want to know how it ended. FYI--It was happy.

summary:
It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.


When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

review: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

pub date: September 14, 2010
publisher: Little Brown Books 
pages:391
appeals: fairy tales, adventure, family
content: some violence and a lot of harsh stuff happens to the protagonists

thoughts:
I listened to this book immediately after reading Cloaked by Alex Flinn. Both books have many fairy tales meshed into one story. Both have contemporary characters dealing with fantasy creatures that they didn't know existed. And yet these two books were completely different in their execution. I just found the juxstiposion interesting in reading them back to back.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book. I picked it up for the first time last summer (I had an ARC from ALA), but didn't get past the second chapter. At the time, I just wasn't interested. I decided to give it another shot and I'm really glad I did because it was so interesting!

Funke is great at creating these alternate worlds where her everyday, modern characters escape to or have to deal with. The Mirrorworld is so cool! I loved how she revealed things about the world as the story went along. The characters are so original and interesting. The adventure is very exciting.

However...

Funke is not a very happy writer. There is always great loss to the main character, horrible sacrifice, and her endings don't end very happy. This book had a somewhat happy ending, the ties were mostly all tied, but it was still somber and sad in several instances. I cannot pick up the next in the series because I know that though the situation these characters are left in isn't the best, it will only get worse in the next installment. And I would rather leave them where they are now then have to watch them go through worse.

summary:
For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures.


Not anymore.

His younger brother has followed him.

Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .

Unless he can find a way to stop it.

review: Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey

pub date: August 4, 2009
publisher: Atheneum
pages: 553
source: my bookshelf
series: A Resurrection of Magic #2
appeals: dark fantasy, mystery, magic,
content: violence, swearing (about 10 f-bombs which I did not think were needed in the context of the story and didn't fit into the world created--really irritated me)

thoughts:
I have a split opinion on this book.

On the one hand--
I enjoyed the mystery. This is a long book and I was interested in it enough to finish it in just a few days. I wanted to know what was going on, who was really who, and what the heck was going to happen before the end.

There are two stories being told, one of Hapt and his experiences in magic school, and the other of Sadima, who lives hundreds of years before Hapt and is there at the beginning of the resurrection of magic, long before the magic school is founded and back when magic was feared and magicians were put to death. The intersecting of the two stories is so awesome. I am impatient for the last of the trilogy to come out so I can see how they will finally come together. Much to my frustration, there is no pub date for A Resurrection of Magic #3. Which means it will be a long wait.  

On the second hand--
This book is slooooow. It takes FOREVER for anything concrete to happen. Hapt spends most of his time trying to build relations with the other boys in the school, which is practically impossible and is mostly internal with tiny interludes with the other boys. The other part of his time is spent trying to figure out magic, which is not a fast process. It takes him an eternity to figure things out. At times it was down right boring. But when his story was going so slow, Sadima's really picked up, and vice versa--when Sadima's was slow, then Hapts would get interesting.

I ended up skimming large chunks.

In conclusion--
Interesting, but way too long. I do want the conclusion of their stories--the ending was rather surprising and I'm left hanging

summary:
Sadima, Franklin, and Somiss, driven out of Limòri by a suspicious fire, are living in a cave hidden within the cliffs that overlook the city. Somiss is convinced the dark passages of the caves were the home of ancient magicians, and his obsession with restoring magic deepens. Sadima dreams of escape -- for her, for Franklin, and for the orphaned street boys Somiss has imprisoned in a crowded cage. Somiss claims he will teach these boys magic, that they will become his first students, but Sadima knows he is lying.

Generations later, Hahp is struggling to survive the wizards' increasingly dangerous classes at the Limòri Academy of Magic. He knows the fragile pact he has forged with his secretive roommate, Gerrard, will not be enough to put an end to the evil. It will take all the students acting together to have any chance of destroying the academy. Building trust, with few chances to speak or plan, will be almost impossible, but there is no choice.

review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

pub date: September 20, 2011
publisher: HarperCollins
pages: 432
source: NetGalley
appeals: fantasy, romance, adventure, magic, religion,
content: violence and war


thoughts:
I loved this book. From the very first page, I was drawn into the story and didn't want to put the book down.

I loved Elisa. Even in the beginning, when she isn't a particularly appealing main character, I still really liked her because I understood her. I understood her fears and why she thought what she thought and did what she did. But as the book went on, I loved her because of her bravery and smarts. I loved how her world view changed. How she changed.

The romance was great. Sudtle and very real. And hopeful. There was also a lot of sadness which made me mad. I didn't want sadness. I was very impressed with the world Carson created. The religion and different perceptions of God from all the different characters was so interesting. I loved the geography of the land. It's varied landscapes and peoples. They felt very real and fully developed. The land was its own character.


My one issue is that I thought it ended too soon. The resolution was too quick. And I'm kind of sad it's a trilogy. I loved Elisa, but now I have to wait knowing there is more to her story. It would've been nice to know this was the end. The story was wrapped up neatly so I'm wondering where it's going to go in the next book.


I'm not a big fan of the cover, but I like it better than the previous cover. The previous cover had a skinny, light-skinned beauty on the front. That wasn't Elisa. So at least this one doesn't give the impression of what isn't.

you should definitely pick up this book!


summary:
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.


Elisa is the chosen one.


But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.


Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.


And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.


Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.


Most of the chosen do.

review: Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

pub date: September 12, 2011
publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
pages: 314
source: NetGalley 
appeals: fantasy, fairy tale-ish, romance, adventure
content: clean

thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Murdock's Dairy Queen series. I love DJ Schwenk and her adventures in Red Bend Wisconsin. However, I'm not such a fan of Murdock's fantasy books.

I read Princess Ben when it came out a few years ago, and it was okay, but I didn't love it. I read Wisdom's Kiss because I wanted to give Murdock's fantasy another go because I love her realistic fiction so much. However, I have to say the I felt the same about Wisdom's Kiss as I did for Princess Ben. It was okay. Not my type of fantasy.

I say not my type of fantasy because the fantasy I enjoy delves into characters and relationships and has solid world building and a well-set forth magical system. I didn't get that with this book. I felt like the story just skimmed the surface, and I wanted depth.
I didn't really feel attached to any of the characters. They were fun or evil or woeful or hopeful, but none of them I felt like I knew. They never came alive for me. Trudy was my favorite but there wasn't enough of her, or any of them really, to love.

The plot had moments of surprise and fun, but it wasn't suspenseful. I didn't feel the urgent need to know what was going to happen next. I felt more of a need to finish the book so that I was finished.

I thought Murdock's story telling style was very creative. Told from (I think) 8 different points of view in (I think) 8 different styles, it was fun to read. Though I did skip the encyclopedia entries near the end. The story might have made more sense if I hadn't done so.

I really hope Murdock writes more contemporary, realistic fiction. I will definitely read it when she does. But I think not any more of her fantasy books. Just not my kind of fantasy.

Readalikes would be Jessica Day George's books or Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore. And if you liked Princess Ben, you'll enjoy this one.

summary:
Princess Wisdom, known as Dizzy, longs for a life of adventure far beyond the staid old kingdom of Montagne.

Tips, a soldier, longs to keep his true life secret from his family.

Fortitude, an orphaned maid, longs only for Tips.

These three passionate souls might just attain their dreams while preserving Montagne from certain destruction, if only they can tolerate each other long enough to come up with a plan. Tough to save the world when you can't even be in the same room together.

Magic, cunning, and one very special cat join forces in this hilarious, extraordinary tale by the author of Dairy Queen and Princess Ben. An incredibly creative tale told with diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, even a stage play, all woven together into a grand adventure.

review: Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

pub date: August 30, 2011
publisher: Simon and Schuster
pages: 411
source: Simon and Schuster Galley Grab
format: digital
appeals: high fantasy, adventure, male protagonists
content: some mild violence

thoughts:
This is a fantasy novel with lots of dark magic and two male protagonists. Definitely a book that would appeal to boys. Now look at the cover. Are you as horrified as I am? ARG! Really, what fantasy loving teen boy is going to pick up a pretty blue cover with a girl on the front? It's pretty! It's a girl! It reflects nothing of the plot and tone of the story! I think the Simon and Schuster marketing department really screwed this cover up. And I'm not happy about it.

What I liked about this book:

--The writing was beautiful. I loved the way Coakley described places and people and situations. It was really beautiful.

--The world building was really original and enjoyable to read. The relations between the Baen and the Witchlanders was well established. To the point that they were true to their beliefs, even when I really didn't want them to be. I wanted things to resolve in a different way, but that wouldn't have been true to the characters.

--Which brings me to the characters. Two male protagonists. So awesome. I thought they were very believable. And I liked how their relationship developed through the book.

Overall, I think this is a good book. But having written all of that, it wasn't my kind of book. At least not the kind I adore. I wanted more physical action, but especially more magic action. And some romance. (I am a girl who likes some romance in her books). And I wanted a more conclusive ending. But that's just me. Like I said, overall, this is a great book with a very misleading cover. ARG!

summary:
High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.


It’s all a fake.

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—

Are about him.

review: nightspell by Leah Cypress

pub date: May 31, 2011
publisher: Greenwillow
pages: 336
source: ALA Midwinter 2011
appeals: ghosts, fantasy, court intrigue, family,
content: clean

thoughts:
This book took me eight days to finish. Which for someone who reads most books in 1-3 days, says a few things:
1) It wasn't a book that enthralled me, one that I couldn't put down. I didn't have to know what was going to happen next.
2) It was interesting enough to finish. If I'm bored with a book, I don't finish it.

I enjoyed Cyress' first book, Mistwood, more than Nightspell. She is an amazing world builder, as apparent in both her books. I also find her ideas very original. There are a lot of ghost books out right now where the main character falls in love with a ghost. I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say, that isn't this book. Cypress creates original worlds and characters and problems. I like that.

However, I thought the plot was a little slow. That it took along time for things to happen. It was more fact gathering than action.

One of the reasons I wasn't enthralled with the story was the lack of romance. I like romance in my books. It doesn't have to be a large part of the plot or even have to do with the main character. I just like it to be somewhere. It was nowhere in Ghostland. I missed it. Lovelessness made it not so enjoyable for me.

The ending was very exciting. I was wanting to know what was going to happen. All that information gathering was coming to an exciting conclusion. Then...the last ten pages. ARG! I wanted it to end differently. I was a little disappointed.

Anyway, solid world building and interesting characters. Great for fantasy lovers who don't care if there are actual lovers in the novel.

summary:
A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD. When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own. In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

review: Impossible by Nancy Werlin

pub date: September 2008
publisher: Dial
pages: 384
appeals: fairies, curse, romance, young adult, fantasy, family
content: there is some mild talk about sex

thoughts:
This is my third Nancy Werlin this year, and like the first two, I really enjoyed it. There isn't beautiful language or fantastic descriptions, but Werlin has a way of telling a straight forward story that really grabs my attention.

Though familiar with the song Scarborough Fair, I had never listened to the words before. They are rather disturbing. Werlin took the song and created this plausible story to go along with the lyrics.

I loved the way Lucy and her family figure out how to accomplish such impossible tasks in such a short amount of time. It was exciting and suspenseful.

It was easy for me to accept the curse and the fantasy elements of the story. It wasn't as easy for me to accept the romance bit. I liked Zach a lot. I liked Lucy and Zach's platonic relationship at the beginning of the novel. Their romantic relationship was abrupt and developed super fast. It kind of took me out of the story for a bit, but overall I thought it worked well and I really did like them as a couple.

summary:
Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

review: Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

pub date: April 19, 2011
publisher: Penguin
pages: 656
source: ALA Midwinter
appeals: dragons, adventure, war, romance, fantasy
content: very gritty--for older teens. There wasn't sex or swearing, just harsh life situations and war and torture and death

thoughts:
I enjoyed Eon: Dragoneye Reborn. I LOVED Eona: The Last Dragoneye. Loved, loved, LOVED this book. It was so awesome and exciting. Sadness that it's over.  Though I'm really glad it was only a two book series. (1200 pages between them would be enough for five).

Again, I was just amazed by the world building. It fits seemlessly in with the first in the series, Eon, and expands and builds upon the previous story. Eon took place in the capital. This takes place all over the kingdom. We learn so much more about the dragons and Eona's past and her swords and the folios.  

There was also some romance going on here. It was the strangest love triangle I've ever read. I hope that doesn't stop anyone from reading the book, because it was so much more/different then just love. Maybe more of a power triangle? "Love" triangles get on my nerves at times, but this one didn't at all. And it was a lot because of Eona. She was attracted to the men for very different reasons and her feelings were never in question.

It was interesting to see the development of some relationships, and the disintegration of others. Eona has this power, and some people like it and want it, others don't. Relationships that Eona values are put to the test, and some fail. Which was really sad.

Unlike in the first book, Eona was very intellent. She had this internal battle between power and compassion. The tug-a-war, the shifting view of her power was interesting to read. She made me proud. Even as she struggled and sometimes failed, I loved it. I loved her. 

The characters, all of them, were very real to life. Even when I wanted them to behave differently, they behaved like they would in life if they were real. Which was awesome.

Did you notice how many pages this book is? It's HUGE. That is because it takes so long for things to happen. There is a daring rescue that starts on page 243 (of the ARC) and ends on page 337 (of the ARC). One hundred pages for a rescue. It is a very daring rescue and things don't go exactly as planned. But the point is, NOTHING happens quickly in this book (or in Eon, for that matter). I did get impatient at times because I wanted things to happen faster, but I never got bored or felt that the story was dragging or that there was too much description (though there was a lot). I'm just an impatient reader.

I actually wanted more when I finished it. After all that, it just sort of ended and I wanted more of a conclusion. Though honestly, it didn't need one. I wanted more of the world, the characters, the dragons.

Okay, enough ramblings. Just an encouragment: You should pick up these books. They're AWESOME!

blurb:
In this standalone sequel to Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, Australian author Alison Goodman (Singing the Dogstar Blues) tracks the perilous adventures of Eona, the first female Dragoneye in many centuries. Unfortunately, our heroine finds no time to rest on her laurels: She and her fellow rebels are racing frantically to find a potent black folio while they also attempt to elude High Lord Sethon's pursuing army. Eona: The Last Dragoneye brims with romance, suspense, and surprises. Definitely worth recommending.

review: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

pub date: August 2008

publisher: Viking Juvenile
pages: 536
source: my bookshelf (before that, Barnes and Noble)

appeals: fantasy, dragons, adventure, war,

content: very gritty--definitely for older teens. A lot of war brutality. There aren't any soft punches.

thoughts:
Amazing world building. It blew my mind how awesome this fantasy world was. I loved it. I also loved how information was introduced. There's all this history that gets reveales slowly.

I don't read high fantasy often, so when I think of dragons, I think of them as sort of pets. Like sweet puppies. I'm not sure what fantasy dragons are usually like, but these ones were very different than what I was expecting. In a very cool and original way.

It was rather frustrating because I understood Eona's relationship with her dragon loooong before she did. Which was fun because I felt smart, but it wasn't fun when I figured it out half a book before Eona. Because then Eona just looks stupid. And makes stupid decisions. Which bothered me A LOT. Literally, I was yelling out loud because she was being such an idiot. Luckily, I was at home, alone, so nobody heard my rants.

My frustration with Eona knocked an apple off the wall for this book. I really enjoyed it. Awesome adventure. Wonderful characters. It was just so great. Yet...when I resort to yelling at a fictional character because she's DUMB, it kind of takes away from the enjoyment.

blurb:
Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and if discovered Eon faces a terrible death.

review: The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

pub date: January 4, 2011
publisher: Tor
pages: 384
audience: adult
source: free from goodreads First Reads
appeals: fantasy, magic,
content: sexual content for older teens and adults, some swearing,

goodreads blurb:
Dan North knows from early childhood that his family is different — and that the differences are secrets that can never be told. This contemporary Urban Fantasy introduces the North family, a clan of mages in exile in our world, and their enemies who will do anything to keep them locked here.

me:
The first 30 pages were interesting. The whole premise of Danny's family's history and what their 'talents' are, it was cool stuff. I liked it. 
 
However, sometimes Card goes a little overboard in describing how the magic (or science) in his fiction works--at least for me. And that is what happened here. WAY too much of Danny figuring out what he can and can't do and how he does it and why it works. That is so BORING to me. I want plot, action, growth. I don't need to know how it works, I just want to see it work.
 
I kept slogging through only because I got the book from Goodreads in exchange for a review and I felt like I should finish before reviewing it. I was not liking what plot there was, or even Danny for that matter, for most of the book. Which was very disappointing.
 
However, it did get better. On page 206. Before this page Danny goes through this phase of being a thief and it was SO BORING AND POINTLESS. Once he ditched Eric (a thief who was Danny's teacher in all things illegal) and grew some brain cells, the plot picked up and things finally happened.

But really the best part of the book was the story of Wad. After every few Danny chapters we got a chapter about Wad. He had nothing to do with Danny, he lived somewhere else and did his own thing. His chapters were short and super interesting and such a nice break from Danny. I liked Wad! One of the reasons I liked his chapters was that I didn't get long (boring) magic lessons. He just did what he did--the plot moved! It was his story that kept me engaged while Danny was being a 13-year-old idiot.

The ending was really fascinating. It made me rethink how I felt about the rest of the book because it was so cool. How things come together, the hint of what's to come. Though I was sad how Wad's story ended. It is a series, so maybe happy things will happen later. Though I wont find out for myself. As fascinating as the ending was, I wont be picking it up.
 
It is an interesting premise and cool magical world Card created, so if you don't mind 13 year old boys who aren't all that likeable and long described discoveries into magic, pick it up.