Book Review: The Rise of Aredor

The Rise of Aredor by Claire M. Banschbach

Recommended for: Ages 10 to Adult

Rating: PG (for violence)

Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery, he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor’s shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into the forest, where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods, they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin’s former cruel master, who now holds sway over Aredor. Follow Corin’s path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country in The Rise of Aredor.

This is a rather difficult review to write. I really wanted to love this book. Claire likes a lot of the same books as me, like Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Ilyon Chronicles, and even watches Doctor Who. I thus had high hopes for The Rise of Aredor, but it never made it to my favorites list.

Writing: 3/5

As other reviewers have said, the beginning of this book is rather choppy. There was a good bit of head hopping, and it changed scenes too dramatically too often. This definitely evened out later on and got much better. There really wasn't any character voice, though, and I was never really drawn into the story. Grammatically, it was well done, though I did notice a handful of typos.

Setting: 4/5

The Rise of Aredor is set in a magic-free fantasy world with a medieval-type feel. The setting actually reminded me a good bit of The Horse and His Boy, and some elements (like the skin dye) of The Last Battle, particularly Calorin, which had several similarities to Calormen. While there were many similarities to Narnia, it still was different enough to be it's own world. Narnians will be quite at home there.

Plot: 3/5

I liked the plot of Part 2. Part 1 really felt to me more like backstory or a prologue. Part 1 tells of how Corin was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Calorin and his life there. I really felt, especially in this part, that there was too much shoved into the space so that none of it had time to be explored properly. There were a lot of battles (though none of them very graphic), as Corin, now called Hamid, became a soldier for Calorin. I like a good battle as a climax (Molly Evangeline does an excellent job at this), but too many battles tend to bore me. Which is why my sisters and I are not big fans of the movie Gettysburg. I would have preferred more time to be spent on the characters than the battles. The second part was definitely better, as it had an objective: freeing Corin's family and the country of Aredor. It was more interesting, as there was more action that wasn't a battle (and there were finally a few girl characters). I think the book would have been better had Claire picked the important parts of the story to delve deeply into and omitted the endless battles. Still, she definitely has potential, and I hope she keeps writing.

Character Development: 4/5

The characters are fairly well developed and each seem unique, but I never really connected to any of them. I felt more like an outsider watching a group of close friends interact than a part of the inner group. I think deep character point of view would have helped me to connect. I was concerned for Corin when he got hurt, and for other characters when they had their injuries and illnesses, I just never really felt what they were going through.

Claire M. Banschbach has a lot of potential as a writer, it was just not fully realized in this, her first novel. While The Rise of Aredor is unfortunately not a favorite of mine it is still a good book and I still have high hopes for the sequel, The Wildcat of Braeton.

I received a free e copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Movie Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Recommended for: Ages 13 and up

Rating: PG-13 ( for epic battle sequences and some scary images)

With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron, the Ring's evil creator. If Sauron reclaims the Ring, Middle-earth is doomed.  

This movie is probably my favorite movie and so after watching it again, I am happy to be the one to write a review on it.

Technical: 4/5

The main problem that I have with the technical aspects is that there are some parts of the movie that you can tell that the actors aren't really there. It isn't a big deal and I had watched it several times before I really noticed it.The amazing part of these movies is that they make regular sized people appear to be three-feet tall when standing next to Gandalf and the men and elves. Throughout the movie the characters get progressively dirty. I was also excited to notice for the first time that the stone trolls were in the background of one scene. The acting was also very good and the characters' emotions were believable.

Setting: 5/5

The setting is very good and a good portrayal of the scenes from the book. Some of my favorite settings are the Shire, the Great River (the Anduin), and Amon Hen. I love that at Amon Hen there are some ruins, though mostly just statues that are broken. At the council of Elrond you can tell that it is fall. All of the elves' homes have a certain look that make them similar but different. There are also the mines of Moria, which were done well as an old dwarf mine.

Plot: 5/5

The first half of this movie sets up the story and is the start of Frodo's journey. The plot can be hard to follow and if you haven't read the books it can be a little confusing, (I had someone to explain things to me the first time). The movie starts out with the story of the Ring and there are some other explanations throughout the movie. What the Ring actually does is never explained in the books or the movies and all you know is that it is evil, it corrupts people, gives them unnatural long life, and it turns people invisible when they put it on. Some of the humor in the books were cut out probably to keep the story serious.

Characters: 5/5

I love these characters (the good ones) and I think that many of them were portrayed accurately, although I like Frodo better in the movies. Merry and Pippin are the funny characters. Boromir is more likeable in the movie than in the books but he has the same faults. Sam is loyal. The other members of the fellowship were also done well. The black riders were scary the first time and I think that they were done very well. The orcs are also creepy and Saruman is a great villain.

I love this movie and I would recommend it to people who love fantasy and people who have read the books.

Book Review: The King's Scrolls

The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight

Recommended for: Ages 12 to Adult

Rating PG-13 (violence, injuries, and dangerous situations)

Following the harrowing events that brought them to Landale Forest, Jace and Kyrin have settled comfortably into their new lives and the mission of protecting those under the emperor’s persecution. The fast approach of winter brings with it the anticipation of a quiet few months ahead. That is until the arrival of four mysterious, dragon-riding cretes who seek aid in a mission of great importance—not only to their own people, but to all followers of Elôm.

Hidden in the vast mining valley north of Valcré, a faithful crete has spent years sharing his knowledge with the destitute miners and their families and is known to possess what may be Arcacia’s last surviving copies of the King’s Scrolls—the Word of Elôm. Joining the cretes, those in Landale must find the crete teacher and bring him to safety, but it is a race against time. Should Daican’s men find him first, execution and the destruction of the Scrolls is certain.

When disaster strikes, all seems lost. Could Elôm have a plan even in the enemy’s triumph?

Available on Amazon!

Buy Now 

Remember back to last year when I said how amazing Resistance was? I still hold to all that, but you know what? It pales in comparison to the awesomeness of The King's Scrolls. Seriously, every book I've read by Jaye/Molly has been better than her previous book. And with Ilyon Chronicles...well, I think C. S. Lewis may have ceded first place. I can't recommend Ilyon highly enough. In case you were wondering, I am still a beta reader, but that has nothing to do with my being a part of this small but wonderful fandom. (And, yes, we do claim fandom status.)

Writing: 5/5

TKS is just as well written as Resistance. Jaye really gives the reader insight into the characters' thoughts. This book is a lot more emotionally painful than the last one (warning, if you cry over books, have a box of tissues ready), and she does an extremely good job of showing it to the reader. I've only cried over one book, and I've now read this one three times, and I was still on the verge of tears multiple times while reading it. I like the pacing. It's not zoom through the plot like my books are (I'm working hard to fix that), nor does it drag like (I'm sorry) Lord Of The Rings sometimes does. It's terrific. And even though the one I just read was an ARC, it was already free of typos. At least I didn't notice any, and they usually stick out to me.

Setting: 5/5

Arcacia is the same Arcacia it was before...only Daican is taking things further. The events of Resistance have made things even more dangerous for followers of Elôm. We get to see a little more of Ilyon in this book, mining towns where some new characters are introduced. Also, cretes are introduced in this book, which means the introduction of a new culture. It's certainly very different. I hope some of the characters someday get to go to a crete village EDIT: since writing this, I've learned they will go to a crete village sometime! because it sounds pretty cool, even if cretes are generally kind of unfriendly. And dragons! The dragons are amazing, and I love the way Jaye handled them. I love Gem especially. Jaye's worldbuilding is solid, and the reveals are steady and realistic as the characters learn more about the world around them. Also, some old settings are revisited, and of course camp is a part of it.

Plot: 5/5

The plot is pretty awesome, and terrible at the same time. Jaye's pretty mean to her characters. There were plot twists that left me gasping, events that made me just about cry, and tense situations that made me not want to put the book down. Something I really liked about this one was that Jace and Kyrin were together for pretty much the whole book. It was great. There is a separate storyline, that of Timothy and Aaron and Josan, but it converges with that of the old characters before the midpoint is reached. There's a lot more of Kyrin's family in this book, which I loved. Really great.

Character Development: 5/5

Lots of Jace and Kyrin. They have grown quite a bit since they were first introduced, but in a completely natural way. I loved seeing how their friendship deepened, and how much they care about one another, though I wouldn't call it a romance yet. And I love Jace more the more I read about him. I've always connected to Kyrin, and I still do, but I've come to really love Jace. He's such a great guy, but so tortured by his past. And tortured in other ways. He's collecting fangirls, and it's not hard to see why. I loved seeing more of Kaden with his love of flying. Besides the fact that I still just love twins. Kyrin and Kaden are the perfect set of twins. I was able to get to know Marcus and Liam a lot more in this book. It took me a while to like Marcus, but I do now. We also get to meet the rest of Kyrin's family. Some new characters are introduced: half-crete brothers Timothy and Aaron and the crete Josan, cretes Captain Darq, Talas, Leetra, and Falcor. All are quite well developed. Leetra is especially well developed. She can be kind of prickly, but she also goes through some tough things. They further fill out the cast and add just what the story needs. I still like Jace and Kyrin best, though. :)

The King's Scrolls is an excellent next installment in the Ilyon Chronicles, and is better than the first. I highly recommend it.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Blog Tour

Today is more than just a review, though. It's a part of the blog tour celebrating the release of The King's Scrolls! And so we have some extra goodies to go along with it.

Giveaway

Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed Epic Winter giveaway! Prize pack includes an autographed copy of The King’s Scrolls, a CD by Future World Music (some of Jaye’s favorite writing music), a dragon bookmark, a stone hawk pendant (much like the ones mentioned in the book), and a few packages of Twining’s Winter Spice tea to sip while you read! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

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Find the rest of the blog tour here!

About the Author

Jaye L. Knight is a homeschool graduated indie author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean new adult fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Etsy.

Friday Favorites: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

 

 Recommended for: All ages

Rating: PG (violence)

This is the TV show from the 1970s and the early 1980s. It follows the life of Doctor David Banner as he searches for a way to cure himself after an accidental dose of gamma radiation.

I loved this show, even though every episode follows the same pattern. He would usually meet someone in trouble, help them and in the process get beaten up and turn into the hulk (usually twice). At the end of each episode he would be walking away along a road. The show got canceled before he ever found a cure. He was also followed by a reporter named Jack McGee, who was obsessed with catching the Hulk. Even though I didn't like Jack, I still wanted him to know the truth about the Hulk and to realize his mistake about David Banner.

It is a sad show about a lonely man. There are some episodes that many TV shows have, for example, an amnesia episode, which was a two parter. I especially liked the episodes where he visited his family, which was also very sad. It was funny though when you could see the green paint coming off of the Hulk. I have seen everything Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby in it, although the TV movies weren't very good. The only disappointing thing about it was that he never got a cure and that he had to keep wandering. We were sad when we came to the end of the four with a partial fifth season. It was hard to find a show to replace it and it took several years to find one.

I would definitely recommend this show, even if you are not that into superheroes.

Book Review: My Kingdom for a Quest

My Kingdom for a Quest by Kendra E. Ardnek

Recommended for: All Ages

Rating: G 

Arthur is the rightful king of Briton, but his Uncle Mordreth refuses to give up the regency. Arthur and Grandfather are now returning with allies to wrestle the kingdom from his uncle's grasp. But not all is as it seems among his allies, and everyone has secrets. New loves, old loves, lost loves, kingdoms conquered and kingdoms stolen. Who is the real "rightful heir" and will the nearly forgotten sword in the stone finally answer this question?

I saw Kendra Ardnek's books around the homeschool author community for awhile before reading them. My first was The Ankulen, which got me hooked on her writing. Then I ventured back to the Bookania Quests and read Sew, It's a Quest, which wasn't as good as her later writing, but I still enjoyed it greatly and wanted to continue the series. I read the second book, Do You Take This Quest in one day when I was sick around Christmas. I liked that one even more, and, since I loved it and can highly recommend it after reading it when I was sick (nothing serious, but I felt pretty awful), I would guess that means it is really good to be able to transcend illness. My Kingdom for a Quest is better than either of the two previous books in the series.

Writing: 5/5

Kendra's writing has improved considerably throughout her journey as a published author. Not that Sew was bad, it wasn't, it just isn't as good. Kingdom is the same quality of writing as The Ankulen, though the style is slightly different being in third person instead of first. It's sort of like older books, but a lively, fun type of writing, and at times it reminded me a bit of C. S. Lewis. She weaves many stories together in one, and handles the very large cast of characters well. Honestly, the various characters have more distinct personalities than I remember the dwarves in the book of The Hobbit having.

Setting: 4/5

Bookania is a fantasy world, but other than fairy godmother gifts, there is little magic left. Things have Changed. Much is inspired by various fairy tales and legends, but woven together into something new. There isn't really much new in the realm of setting in this book, but it is consistent with the worldbuilding of the two previous books. Bookania is an interesting place, and I feel there is still more to be revealed in it's cultures and histories.

Plot: 4/5

The main objective is to get rid of Uncle Mordreth. How to get everyone they need to help in the right place and willing to work together... It picks up after the honeymoons of Robin and Eric and Robert and Rosamond who had a double wedding in the last book. There are many personal things going on as those who have been asleep come to terms with it being one hundred years later, and as Robin behaves like Robin. And Eric has to deal with her. The plot wasn't terribly complex, though not entirely straightforward either, and I really enjoyed the storyline.

Character Development: 5/5

And now to my favorite part: Robin and Eric. They're just so funny together. There's more background on them in this book, about their long running childhood rivalry. I enjoyed it immensely. And their collections! No spoilers on it, though I just HAD to tell my sister even though she hadn't even read Take yet (I let her borrow my kindle to read it as soon as I finished Kingdom and she had it done by bedtime). But those were definitely some of my favorite parts. There's not quite as much of Robert and Rosamond, but they are still in it. There's more of Arthur and Shira's character gets explored more, as does Samson's. And the way things were for these characters before the Change is expanded on. But still, Robin and especially Eric take first place as favorites. I'm pretty sure Eric is my favorite. He's pretty awesome.

If you love fantasy, adventure, or are just looking for a fun read for any age, I highly recommend The Bookania Quests.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Find the rest of the My Kingdom for a Quest blog tour here!

Buy on Kindle

Buy a paperback

Four of Kendra E. Ardnek's other books are free on kindle today!

Sew, It's a Quest

The Woodcutter Quince and Other Short Stories

Do You Take This Quest

Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories

Author Person: Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways.  She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings.  Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.

And here's an excerpt from My Kingdom for a Quest.

    As they continued to search for some sign of life – even Doranna’s aviary was empty – Robin became more and more frantic. Soon “everyone’s missing” escalated into “they’re in danger,” from which naturally followed “we must rescue them!” And that somehow translated into Robin storming through the entire castle, gathering every weapon she could find, and depositing them in a huge pile in the front entry way.
   “You know,” Eric remarked, as he followed at a safe distance – Robin with a sword in her hands was a dangerous thing in any situation, and right now she was on the warpath, “I’m not sure King Jonathan would be too excited about finding every weapon in his castle in the front entry way …”
   She spun around. “Well, we can’t just sit around doing nothing!” She spun back around and continued her march. “They’re in trouble, I know they are!”

    Eric took a deep breath. “And I’m quite sure they’re not.”
    “And what makes you so sure?” she threw over her shoulder. “They’re missing – explain that!”
   Eric hesitated a moment, not exactly sure how to put it in words. “It’s a feeling I get. I just know when someone’s in trouble. They’re not.”
   “You’re the one who thought that the path was going to disappear.” She reached the pile and deposited the sword she carried.
   “Robin, can we please think about this logically for a moment,” Eric pleaded, positioning himself in front of the door she headed towards.

   “Them being in danger is perfectly logical,” she pointed out, shooting him a glare before she disappeared through a different door.

   Eric sighed and followed her. “Yes, but piling all the weapons in the entry way is not.”

   “We have to do something!”

   “I understand, but how will a pile of weapons help them?”

   “They’ll need them when we find them.”

   "And exactly how are we going to get the weapons to them?”

   She actually paused for half a moment. “I …” she began, and then she snapped back into her brisk pace. “You think of something.”

   “Ah, so that’s how it’s done,” said Eric, shaking his head.

See, aren't Eric and Robin amazing together? :)

Movie Review: The Man From Snowy River

The Man From Snowy River

Recommended For: Ages 10 to Adult

Rating: PG for language and violence

Set in late-19th-century Australia, this family drama follows Jim Craig, who lives with his father, Henry, in the pristine hills of Snowy River country, where stampedes of wild horses routinely gallop through the land. After Henry is unexpectedly struck and killed, Jim is told he's too "green" to take over his own land and is forced to take a job with Mr. Harrison, an American cattle baron who's made a fortune in Australia and is the talk of the country for his pure-bred colt worth 1,000 pounds.

Years ago, The Apple Dumpling Gang was on TV, followed by The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again and Return to Snowy River, a movie we had never seen or heard of before. We decided to record The Apple Dumpling Gang and only The Apple Dumpling Gang. Well...we learned the difference between AM and PM. When setting the recorder, we meant to set it to end at the end of the first movie, which ended sometime in the morning, but accidentally set it for that time in the PM instead of the AM. We didn't realize our mistake until we had recorded The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again and Return to Snowy River. We had recorded the sequel to a movie we hadn't watched. We always meant to eventually watch The Man From Snowy River so we could watch the sequel we had accidentally recorded, but only got around to it Saturday night.

Technical: 4/5

This is an older movie, so you can't expect it to be very technically advanced. That being said, for an older movie, it was very well-done.

Setting: 5/5

The setting was what I thought was cool about this movie. It was set in Australia, in the mountains and the lowlands. This meant the accents were cool. I don't know much about Australia, especially in that time period, but I think it was very well done.

Plot: 4/5

It's not hard to guess that this is at least in part a romance. Now, I'm not at all adverse to a little romance in stories, in fact quite the opposite, but I like it to be done right. The romance in this movie seemed fast. The progression of events of people falling for each other happened way too quickly. They only knew each other for about two weeks when they were kissing. That being said, if it had been slowed down a little, the romance would have been perfect. Not the central plot, clean, honorable, and not too much kissing, not cheesy or weird. As for the rest of the plot, it was...confusing. Good, but confusing.

Character Development: 4.5/5

The characters seemed pretty good. I didn't fall in love with them, but I didn't hate them either. They were developed well, but they probably could have been developed better.

I think this was a good movie and is worth watching.

Friday Favorites: Peter Pan

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Recommended For: All Ages

Rating: G

"I'll teach you how to jump on the wind's back, and then away we go," said Peter. "You just think lovely wonderful thoughts, and they lift you up in the air."

When the Darling children are visited by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, he convinces them to fly away to the island of Neverland, where children never grow up! There they meet the Lost Boys, a giant crocodile, and the evil Captain Hook. Discover the magical adventures of Peter Pan in this timeless, classic tale.

We all at one time have wished never to grow up. We all have read about Peter Pan, the boy who never did.

I really don't know why I like Peter Pan so much. I first read it a long time ago when the only copy in the house was my sister's. It had small print and was rather daunting. But I finished it and I really liked it. I have since then acquired my own copy, and now I love it. I can't really say who's my favorite character, though. All of the children are heartless, and J. M. Barrie acknowledges this, especially in his last line which I really love: "...and so it will go on, as long as children are gay and innocent and heartless."

Peter Pan is, of course, the central character of this book, although Wendy is the protagonist. Peter Pan, I'm told, is a jerk in the movie (I don't really know; I haven't seen it in forever), and is even worse in the TV show Once Upon A Time, but in the book, while he badly needs a mother, he's not a jerk and certainly not a villain. Peter Pan is very forgetful, he's selfish, as all children are, carefree, a little rude, but nice to the ladies. He tries to be a gentleman, although I'm not sure he succeeds at times. But he does succeed at other times, namely the lagoon adventure (read the book if you don't know what I'm talking about). Namely it is his forgetfulness that shapes Peter Pan. He is a natural leader, he doesn't like the Lost Boys to dress like him or know anything he doesn't know, he loves a good game, he is extremely cocky, he won't strike a man when he is down (literally), strives to always be fair, he despises the thought of mothers (real mothers, that is) and is insanely good at imagining things. An oft-forgotten fact is that Peter Pan had nightmares. As J. M. Barrie said, "Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams, though he wailed piteously in them. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence." This really made me feel sorry for Peter (and gave me inspiration for one of my characters with the same name).

Sorry for the really long paragraph. Peter is a mystery and it takes a while to explain him. Wendy was fascinated with him, and she could tell, like her mother and her progeny, that he desperately needed a mother. She tried to fulfill that role for him for a while, albeit not very well, but she was just a little girl in need of a mother of her own. I like Wendy very much. She and Peter are probably my favorite characters.

The Neverland is a very interesting place. J. M. Barrie developed it very well. It's so interesting and weird, and its inhabitants are whimsical.

Captain Hook deserves a shout-out. His name wasn't really James Hook, or as he wrote it, Jas. Hook, but someone who "To reveal who he really was would even at this late date set the country in a blaze;" but by Barrie's own admission, was not wholly evil. He loved flowers and sweet music, and was no mean performer on the harpsichord, and was harped up on good form. Peter himself had the highest of good forms, good form without knowing you have good form.Captain Hook was not wholly a bad man, and I kind of like him.

I also really like Barrie's writing style. It's hard to explain, really; I guess you'll just have to read the book again. I do a lot: it's a comfort read.

Anyone and everyone should read this book, and read it again and again. I really like it and it's a really good book.