Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Star by Star Review

Title: Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Star by Star (Book 9)

Author: Troy Denning

Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: October 30, 2001
Format: paperback

Genre: Sci-Fi 

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: 

" It is a solemn time for the New Republic, as the merciless Yuuzhan Vong continue their campaign of destruction. The brutal enemy has unleashed a savage creature capable of finding-and killing-Jedi Knights. Now Leia Organa Solo faces a terrible ultimatum. If the location of the secret Jedi base is not revealed within a week, the Yuuzhan Vong will blast millions of refugee ships into oblivion.

   

As the battered but still unbroken Jedi scramble to deal with the newest onslaught, Leia's son Anakin lays out a daring plan. He will lead a Jedi strike force into the heart of enemy territory in order to sabotage the Yuuzhan Vong's deadliest weapons. There, with his brother and sister at his side, he will come face-to-face with his destiny-as the New Republic, still fighting the good fight, will come face-to-face with theirs..."

Oh the wonders of Star Wars Expanded Universe! While it no longer is canon within the Star Wars Universe, it is still near and dear to my heart! This book, more so than any other of the EU books, has brought me much sorrow, happiness, and remains my most conflicted reads ever! This book is the 9th in the New Jedi Order (NJO) mini-series,therefore, much that is discussed in it and on here will be kinda new to those who don't know much about it. Not to mention that the entire EU is one giant comprehensive group and many story lines from either books and characters get fleshed out more here, or even meet their ends. 

As the synopsis states (very Star Wars opening scroll is it not?), The New Republic, the government that is formed out of the Rebel Alliance after the fall of Emperor Palpatine, is fighting a losing war against the extra-galactic invaders, the Yuuzhan Vong. Invaders from a distant lifeless galaxy. The Yuuzhan Vong wield organic ships, weapons, and armor, obsessed with self-mutilation in honor of their Pantheon of gods, and most vexing of all, are invisible to the Force. Calling the technologically advanced races of the Star Wars galaxy "infidels" and looking for a new home, the Vong invade the galaxy and begin a long and deadly war. The Jedi, rebuilt by Luke Skywalker, are seen as the only honorable and dangerous beings to be found in the galaxy and worthy of personal destruction at their hands. Creating a Force-hunting creature based off the native creatures of the planet Myrkr, the Vong unleash them upon the battered Jedi. 

With no options left to the dwindling guardians of the galaxy, Anakin Solo, Leia and Han's youngest son, devises a plan to strike at the Voxyn Queen, mother of all these dangerous creatures. Joined by his siblings, the twins Jacen and Jania, Chewbacca's nephew Lowbacca, the Dathomiri Tenel Ka, the former Dark Jedi Zekk, the Alderaan survivor Raynar Thul, his childhood friend Tahiri Veila, the healer Tekli, the reptilian hatch mates, Tesar Sebatyne, Krasov and Bela Hara, the rebellous Ganner Rhysode, musically inclined Ulaha Kore, spacer Eryl Besa, and the Rodian sniper Jovan Drark, they plan on taking the war finally to the Vong and showing the galaxy the might of the Jedi Order.

While this team of Jedi apprentices battles overwhelming odds in order to save their Order, the Yuuzhan Vong, allongside traitors and spies, plan on launching daring attacks against the few remaining strongholds of the New Republic, including their capital, Coruscant. 

This book is just jam packed with wonderful, sad, and joyous information of the Star Wars EU. The author, Troy Denning, brings characters introduced in older books, to a close in a way that shows the overarching impact of the antagonists. Bringing in twists and turns from beginning to end, Denning turns a simple book into a block-buster that would have made a wonderful addition to George Lucas's movie franchise! Following not just the young strike team but also old favorites like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Wedge Antilles, the book brings action and intrigue  to every corner of its pages. From beginning to end, from every upturn to every tear-jerking moment, this book brings to mind the very movies it was based on. 

If sci-fi is your cup of caf, and if you are looking forward to a book that harkens to the block busters in theme, grandeur, and storylines, this is a book, and a mini-series for you!

Guest Book Review: Hero by Perry Moore

Title: Hero

Author: Perry Moore

Publisher: Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group

Release Date: 2007

Page Count: 428

Rating: 4 ½ /5 stars

                Synopsis:

               The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.

But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.

To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.

 Have you ever wondered where young heroes like Spider-Man and Robin get their start? Well this novel is not exactly like that.

Hero by Perry Moore is an origin story for a young superhero named Thom Creed. It tells a great beginning to his powers and his kind of embarrassing attempts at superheroics, all the while dealing with Thom’s life at home, as the son of a retired superhero! Oh and did I mention he’s gay? No? Woops, my bad.

Thom is a young boy, whose father, Hal Creed, is a retired superhero, kind of a pastiche of Batman and Captain America, and they live in rural suburbia trying to make some kind of a living. Thom himself is a bit of a backseat driver in his own tale, which can get grating a bit. However, he generally has the compassion of a true hero, keeping secrets from his father so as to protect him. His powers are a bit of a confusion and not exactly introduced in a normal way, but in a world of heroes and being related to one, it makes sense. Thom is asked to audition for the League, a team that spurs his father, and in a bid to prove himself as a young man trying to come to terms with his home and school lives and his sexuality, Thom accepts and meets his squad of fellow trainees.

              
Hal Creed is actually quite a complex character. He’s a “forced” retired superhero, and they story doesn’t go too much into why he was forced into retirement or why the vast majority of people who meet his father respond with negative comments and outright hostility. Creed Sr. dos not have superpowers. As a result of his past, Hal resents powered people and has a huge issue with homosexuals.

              
The other characters include, the elderly precog (psychic) Ruth, who reminds me of Sophia from the Golden Girls, Typhoid Larry, a young hero who’s only power is to get sick (charming no?), Scarlett, a fiery pyrokinetic with a past and story all her own, and Golden Boy, a younger member of the League as their sponsor and rival towards Thom. Not to mention the other members of the League, and a mysterious basketball rival named Gorlan who Thom connects to when he has his down time.

                
This story has the makings of a great origin story to a great hero story full of suspense, drama, heroics, comedy, mystery, pastiches out the wazoo to famous heroes from comics, and even some wonderful family and friend PSAs! If you like superheroes, enjoy YA novels, and maybe want to broaden your library into some new LGBT novels, Hero is probably one of the best out there!

The Madman's Daughter Review

Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Paperback

 "Following accusations that her scientist father gruesomely experimented on animals, sixteen-year-old Juliet watched as her family and her genteel life in London crumbled around her—and only recently has she managed to piece her world back together. But when Juliet learns her father is still alive and working on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the old accusations are true. Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward, Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's insanity. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood."

 Review:

Oh my! This was probably my first Gothic YA novel that I have read and it didn't disappoint. *Warning minor spoilers ahead* The very beginning of the book starts off with talking about blood and a medical hospital. That was a brilliant way to draw me into the novel. Juliet, was one of those characters who doesn't feel sorry for herself given her past and is trying to get ahead again. She has no problems dealing with the blood and gore that comes along with having been the daughter of a surgeon and working at the medical college. The rest of the cast was just as memorable, from her father, to Montgomery (I'm rooting for this dude), to Edward and even Balthazar. Each one was unique in their own way and interactions with the others.

The experiments of which her father has been conducting has to be my favorite part of the entire novel. They weren't what I was expecting and the plot twist with one of the experiments I really had no idea that what happened was going to happen. A few scenes were a bit on the graphic side but they are what gave insight into the Madman.

However there is still a love triangle involved and that would be why I said earlier I was rooting for Montgomery. Otherwise I didn't have to many issues with the book. At a couple parts the action died down and it was moving rather slow but not anything to make me stop. The whole scene with the ship I felt could have been shortened by a couple pages, because I found it a bit dull to be on the ship with them and the ship's crew to be rather crude and unmemorable.

The ending of the novel did leave me with a lot of unanswered questions that I look forward to reading in Her Dark Curiosity, book 2 of the Madman's Daughter Series.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The School for Good and Evil - Review

Title: The School For Good and Evil
Author: Soman Chainani
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 14th, 2013
Format: Paperback

"At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.
But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one."

The Good: Soman did a wonderful job of creating a world which fairy tales come to life and everyone in them is a fairy tale character and they have a legacy in which to live up to. The reversal of roles was brilliant to me. Agatha who fits the bill of being taken to the School of Evil with her witch like appearance is actually good. While Sophie who everyone believes to be a candidate for the School of Good finds herself in the School of Evil. Soman's ability to break through the stereotypes for the book and show that appearances can be deceiving is spot on. The princes, princesses, and the villains are wonderful characters even the minor characters were intriguing. The descriptions of both Schools painted a wonderful picture in my mind.  

The Evil: Not much was bad about the book. I felt the story drug on a bit in the beginning and was a little slow throughout the thick of it. It was a bit difficult to follow at times with switching back and forth between Sophie and Agatha in the chapters.

Rating: 3.5/5 Swans (I used Swans this time because they wear swans on their uniforms in the book)

ARC Review - Stone Faced Angel

Title: Stone Faced Angel
Author: Marie McKean
Publication: February 1, 2015
Format: e-ARC
Stone Faces Series #1

 

*I received an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Thank you Netgalley and Marie McKean. 

"There are some things I know for sure:
1. I died . . . a long time ago
2. Even in death I was always aware of him.
3. Love has a way of making even angels choose to leave their heaven above."