Book Review: Storming

Storming by K. M. Weiland

Recommended For: Ages 13 to Adult

Rating: PG-13 (violence)

In the high-flying, heady world of 1920s aviation, brash pilot Robert “Hitch” Hitchcock’s life does a barrel roll when a young woman in an old-fashioned ball gown falls from the clouds smack in front of his biplane. As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she’s game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow. In return for her help, she demands a ride back home . . . to the sky. Hitch thinks she’s nuts—until he steers his plane into the midst of a bizarre storm and nearly crashes into a strange airship like none he’s ever run afoul of, an airship with the power to control the weather. Caught between a corrupt sheriff and dangerous new enemies from above, Hitch must take his last chance to gain forgiveness from his estranged family, deliver Jael safely home before she flies off with his freewheeling heart, and save his Nebraska hometown from storm-wielding sky pirates. Cocky, funny, and full of heart, Storming is a jaunty historical adventure / dieselpunk mash-up that combines rip-roaring steampunk adventure and small-town charm with the thrill of futuristic possibilities.

I've followed K.M. Weiland's writing help blog for a really long time, so when my sister bought this book, I jumped at the chance to read it. I had so many other books to read I didn't get past the beginning for a while, but when I made myself sit down and read it, I loved it and finished it in a day. I moved down to our basement halfway through the book because it was thundering so loud the windows were shaking. This isn't my normal genre at all, but I enjoyed it just the same.

Writing: 5/5

K.M. Weiland certainly practices what she talks about on her writing blog. This book had deep and engaging POVs, a backstory that is told to the reader just as the story demands it... I could go on for a lot longer, but I shouldn't. I did guess the big plot twist very early on, but I've read so many stories, it's incredibly hard to fool me in plot twists. I can remember it happening recently once, and I've read I don't know how many books with plot twists I've read.

Setting: 5/5

I've never been to Nebraska, and certainly never in the 1920s, but since Nebraska is the author's home, I would assume she got it pretty accurate. Despite the obvious advanced technology in the airship, everything seemed historically accurate. The descriptions were really good, too.

Plot: 5/5

Exciting and well-structured! The plot points are right where they should be and they're big and epic as they should be. It's an intriguing concept that has an intriguing plot that never falls flat.

Character Development: 5/5

Even the best story rules-wise can fall completely flat without great characters and a heart. This book has both. Not only are the characters true to life, they're likable characters a reader can easily connect with and root for. Hitch, Walter, and Jael were my favorites, although I really liked the two feuding brothers and Walter's aunt. It broke my heart when SPOILER Hitch's brother refused to forgive him even after repeated attempts on Hitch's part to apologize. END SPOILER 

This is one book you don't want to miss. It has heart, charm, and characters with a ready wit. If you like action, adventure, historical fiction, steampunk, dieselpunk, or Jules Verne novels, you will love this book. Go buy it and read it now!

Movie Review: Harvey

Harvey

Rating: G

Recommended for: Ages 10 and up (interest level)

Elwood P. Dowd is friends with a giant rabbit which no one but he can see. His sister struggles with what to do with him and finally decides to have him committed, which causes many mix-ups.

This movie follows a man who everyone thinks is crazy, since he has a friend who is a six foot tall invisible rabbit. It is a funny movie and is not too long, which can be nice sometimes.

 Technical: 4/5

This is an older movie, and the version we saw was in black and white. The acting was good and seemed mostly natural. It was definitely not as stiff as some old movies. The story line is pretty simple and easy to follow even as things get more messed up.

Setting: 5/5

There are not a ton of different places and I don't remember them saying where they lived. There is a mental hospital which they go to and a couple of places in town. The settings seem very much like the settings in other old movies.

Plot: 5/5

The story is mostly about Dowd's sister trying to get rid of Harvey so that people won't think that they are crazy. Dowd is oblivious to everything and is nice to everyone. He also brings people together, though I don't know why the nurse liked the doctor since he was always rude to her.

Characters: 5/5

Elwood P. Dowd is friendly to everyone and believes the best about people. He invites people he has hardly met to dinner and tries to introduce everyone to Harvey. His sister is very upset about Harvey, especially since she has occasionally seen him and he looks just as her brother described him. There are other characters too, which play a part in the story, especially when they learn that Dowd is the one everyone thinks is crazy.

It is hinted at that Harvey is actually real, but you only see him in a picture. It has a good ending and I would recommend it.

Book Review: Princess Academy Series

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Recommended for: Ages 10 to Adult

Rating: PG

Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince will choose his bride from among the village girls.

The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess. Soon Miri finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires. Winning the contest could give her everything she ever wanted-but it would mean leaving her home and family behind.

It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was very, very good. I'd been reading it on my Saturday lunch break for several weeks, but I had to bring it home  to finish it. So good. So much about what education can really do, deep relationships, real characters, and the quarry speak is pretty cool. 

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have come to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding. There, Miri also has a chance to attend school – at the prestigious Queen's Castle.

But as Miri befriends sophisticated and exciting students, she also learns that they have some frightening plans for a revolution. Torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place.

 Oh my goodness, words cannot express how much I loved this book. The Princess Academy books are never what I expect, they are so much better. I intended to leave this as a lunch break book, but I just had to bring it home and finish it. This book. It's just so deep. I love deep. All the Ethics questions Miri ponders, the politics, the French Revolution-type conflict, the uncertainty of her relationship with Peder...there's just so much I love, that I can relate to, that made me think. So, so good. 

 After a year at the king's palace, Miri has learned all about being a proper princess. But the tables turn when the student must become the teacher!

Instead of returning to her beloved Mount Eskel, Miri is ordered to journey to a distant swamp and start a princess academy for three sisters, cousins of the royal family. Unfortunately, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus are more interested in hunting and fishing than becoming princesses.

As Miri spends more time with the sisters, she realizes the king and queen's interest in them hides a long-buried secret. She must rely on her own strength and intelligence to unravel the mystery, protect the girls, complete her assignment, and finally make her way home.

 The second book is still my favorite, but I loved this one nevertheless. In a way, it brings the series full circle as Miri the Princess Academy student becomes the teacher of a mini Princess Academy. But it is so much more than that. Political unrest is not yet over, and relations between Danland and Stora are, well, not pretty. I do caution you not to peek at the end. I did before I even read Palace of Stone--solely to see if Miri and Peder got together--and accidentally got a spoiler that ruined a lot of the suspense. But it still managed to surprise me a bit even so. Miri and Peder are still fantastic, the sisters are great, things are concluded well, and I love it to pieces. I must have my own copy.

This series is highly recommended. Clean and kid appropriate, yet so deep. Wonderful stories.