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Abarat Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat)

Clive Barker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An (Unnecessary) Failure of Greatness 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

On the one hand, I would have given Barker's 'Days of Magic, Nights of War' the 4 and 1/2 or maybe 5 stars it deserved back in 2004, when it emerged in hardcover glory. The second installment in his Abarat "series" brought greater excitement (as one would hope) to the adventures of Candy Quackenbush & friends in the wild, weird world she entered. In this 2004 segment, Barker regales with a nearly over-burdened plot, but manages to create a compelling world teeming with amazements. His paintings/illustrations are utterly exquisite and make this entire idea a thing that ought to be forever treasured.

But it's hard to do so. The first book arrived six years ago in 2002. The second four years ago in 2004...ominously along with hype about a film, a theme-park deal, etc. With the complexity, incoherence, and surrealism of his Abarat plotline, this is a series that Barker needed to keep coming at a viable pace (at *least* one book every other year).

But with the sad and apparent neglect given to finishing this extended work, it has been all too easy for initially enthralled readers (and buyers!) to lose complete track of the basics of this story. Moreover, it has been all too easy to lose interest altogether in its outcome. The unfolding of this series has been so ruined by whatever strange delays have taken place, that one is hard-pressed to imagine how Harper Collins is really going to salvage the project in terms of contemporary viability.

It's apparent that the film is OUT (and understandably so, after such sloth in Barker publishing the whole thing). I can't help but feel that Barker has really short-changed his audience and his great Abarat (once so full of potential) by failing to complete the installments in a remotely reasonable fashion. Again, one wonders how excited the publisher is going to be to promote the future 3 volumes(3 more?!? I don't see it happening).

That's a shame--if Barker had stuck to his work ethic and vision, forgoing the lure of hasty, premature movie-studio deals and theme-park rights, this series could well have been one of the great multi-part sagas of our time for young adults (and those who "think" young). But as it is, the audience of 13 year-olds he targeted in 2002 is now getting ready for college and interest for the project as a continuum has been fatally lost.

I was moved to write this review because I was recently reorganizing my library and happened upon my 2004 hardcover copy of "Days of Magic, Nights of War" and nearly flipped. "Wow! I just about forgot this series existed!" I said to myself. "The rest of the books must have come out ages ago and I happened to miss them in the bookstore." Wrong. I was very disappointed to learn of the serious discrepancies in the publishing history of this series. Not only because I paid hardcover prices 6 and 4 years ago, expecting to have the whole set in reasonably timely fashion (every other year, perhaps), but also in a bit of sadness for a magnificently complex tale I expected to savor and unravel during my actual *lifetime.*

I'm glad to know that these books have a second life in paperback, and may win some new fans in that form, but even the paperback edition of this portion came out 2 years hence, and this only underscores how terribly this once-vibrant project has been derailed. At such a rate, I will indeed be ninety before the last one comes out--which I won't be waiting for.

The interest, once-piqued, has dimmed. The reader's faith (once-earned) has been breached. The best we can hope for is that Barker will even finish this tale one day, and that, after we are all long dead or aged, the whole series will be able to be purchased at once by future-folks. But Barker has even jeopardized that hope. Why should publishers be eager to manufacture & market five expensive illustrated volumes in the distant future if the project couldn't even get off the ground properly in its own day(s)? The entire project needed one cohesive decade, at least, to build up its classic status, its legend, and its mystique for posterity. Instead, it has been left in the proverbial lurch. A failure, especially given the greatness of Barker's artwork--which really is as crucial as the narrative, in this case.

And, to reiterate, had this series been given its due diligence by the author himself, it would have been a collection worthy of all-time greatness. Now, I'm sure some die-hards may still care, but there can't be enough. After six, seven years, I'm a former die-hard who's not going to go back and read them the first two again, especially with no real guarantee that an ending will ever come! If you happen to read this, Mr. Barker, please know that you have disappointed an admirer of what ~could~ have been something truly, truly monumental.

Editorial Review:

Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the amazing world of the Abarat are getting more strange by the hour. Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, has sent his henchman to capture her. Why? she wonders. What would Carrion want with a girl from Minnesota? And why is Candy beginning to feel that the world of Abarat is familiar to her? Why can she speak words of magic she doesn't even remember learning?

There is a mystery here. And Carrion, along with his fiendish grandmother Mater Motley, suspects that whatever Candy is, she could spoil their plans to take control of the Abarat.

Now Candy's companions must race against time to save her from the clutches of Carrion, and she must solve the mystery of her past before the forces of Night and Day clash and Absolute Midnight descends upon the islands.

A final war is about to begin. And Candy is going to need to make some choices that will change her life forever ...

Moonstone

Wilkie Collins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fantastic Mystery! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have to admit that until I did a mystery search, I hadn't even heard of Wilkie Collins. Wilkie Collins name came up, along with a description of The Moonstone as being "the best of modern English detective novels" (as quoted by T.S.Eliot). Big words, indeed. With those lofty expectations, I read The Moonstone, and have to say that this mystery definitely delivered. It lived up to those words.

One of the finer aspects of Collins work is his creation of mood and suspense in the story. There is a feeling of expectation and suspense from the beginning, when the moonstone is stolen, to the case of trying to find out who stole it, to the unmasking of events, people and circumstances at the end. There is a marvelous ability to create narrative point of view from the many narratives told from the various characters. And there are many--eleven different narratives--in total. From Gabriel Betteredge to Franklin Blake to Sergeant Cuff to Miss Clack and other minor characters, Collins is able to change narrative persona and "become" that person. There is a good deal of intrigue from so many voices, because, quite frankly, you do not know if you can take what the person is saying at face value. In this way, the human element of perspective is amazingly effective in telling this mystery.

There are other elements that make this a worthy mystery. Namely, you have a diverse number of characters, who have their various motives. Throw in a love affair, a tragic character, and an exotic jewel with a curse put on it, and you have quite a remarkable suspense. I have to say that I was hooked.

As far as my own personal interests, I found Sergeant Cuff to be my favorite character. Surely, he's no Sherlock Holmes, but there is a way he goes about trying to solve the mystery that I found refreshing. He's no average sleuth. One of my favorite scenes was the "experiment" performed by Ezra Jennings in relation to the events leading up to the disappearance of the moonstone.

There is also a little comic relief thrown in from time to time in the person of Gabriel Betteredge, who believes that life's answers and secret are all contained in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

The Moonstone is an engaging work, highly detailed, and maybe a little implausible, but Collin's overcomes this. I'm glad I found this one, and I've also heard good things about The Woman in White, another Collins mystery. Definitely worth a read!

Editorial Review:

A novel which reflects the underside of Victorian life. A tale of a stolen jewel, foreign menace and violent death. A telling social portrait.

The Mediator #6: Twilight (Mediator)

Meg Cabot

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

V.Z. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I thought the sixth and final book in the mediator books was an awesome book. It solved all the questions I had about what was going to happen in the end, and it answered them in a very unexpected and extremely pleasing way. I totally recommend this book, but I recommend reading the first five Mediator books before reading this one so you have a better idea of what is going on.

Good, but not the best in the series. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This series is a lot of fun to read, but I did feel that the ending was a little too perfect. Everything tied up in a perfect bow. Throughout the book, I felt that the story was lacking a good central plot to work around. From the beginning, we knew Paul was up to something, and shortly after, we knew what it was, but for some reason, Suze couldn't figure out the obvious. Suze was just confused and unsure and shallow most of this book which is very unlike her character. However, the ending was just what the reader would wnat and I am very glad I read the book. I liked the series so much I had to read all of it in one week. Read it, but it isn't the best in the series, but you'll be happy with the ending. I am left wanting to understand Paul better, but maybe that is for another series. :)

Editorial Review:

Suze has gotten used to ghosts. She's a mediator, after all, and communicating with the dead is all in a day's work. So she certainly never expected to fall in love with one: Jesse, a nineteenth- century hottie. But when she discovers that she has the power to determine who becomes a ghost in the first place, Suze begins to freak. It means she can alter the course of history ... andprevent Jesse's murder, keeping him from ever becoming a ghost -- and from ever meeting Suze.

Will Jesse choose to live without her, or die to love her?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Pacemaker Classics)

Robert Louis Stevenson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Super Reader 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A scientist invents a formula that can bring out man's dual nature. His opposite number, in this case, is somewhat of super-powered wanton, who does whatever he likes. Free of the social restraint of his other half, he happily commits any crime that comes to mind as he feels like it.

Eventually, investigators begin to suspect something, and a hunt is on for who is behind it.

A Good Quick Read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Mr. Hyde is a known murderer. Dr. Jekyll is a honorable doctor in the scientific community. These people's lives should never cross, but why is Hyde the heir of Dr. Jekyll. This book by Robert Luis Stevenson "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", focuses on the duality of man and Jekyll's beleif that the evil in a man can be seperated from the good. This classic book can be read in as little as an hour and is a peice of literature that can surprise you in many ways. This book is not wriiten as poetry and as hard to read as The Odessy or Shakespeare. This book will make you think

Editorial Review:

This intriguing combination of fantasy thriller and moral allegory depicts the gripping struggle of two opposing personalities — one essentially good, the other evil — for the soul of one man. Its tingling suspense and intelligent and sensitive portrayal of man's dual nature reveal Stevenson as a novelist of great skill and originality.

What Happened to Cass McBride?

Gail Giles

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Another suspenseful HIT for Gail Gillies 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What Happened to Cassie McBride is a suspenseful, page-turner which will not disappoint Young Adult readers. Gail Gillies has a intriguing way of making her characters come alive as well as encouraging teenagers to keep reading. Her creative characterization and foreshadowing motivate the reader.
I have read four of Gail Gillies's novels for reluctant readers, and everyone of her books is powerful, suspenseful and thought-provoking. I encourage all teenagers, even those who would rather be on the internet, to read one of her novels; you won't be disappointed!

Editorial Review:

"The setting is claustrophobic, the characters are complex and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats," KLIATT raved of this vivid, fast-paced psychological thriller in a starred review. Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Kidnaps Cass. Puts her in a box--underground. He buries her alive. But lying in the deepest dark, Cass finds a weapon: she uses the power of words to keep her nemesis talking--and herself breathing--during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.

The Silver Kiss

Annette Curtis Klause

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 177 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautifully written, great characters, scary gore, one of the best 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a great fan of the Twilight series. This author's writing is quite a few notches up from S. Meyer's. The Silver Kiss story is engrossing. The language is poetic and gorgeous. The finely drawn characters draw you in, immediately. The story was written in 1990 and so the references to the Ramones dates it a bit, but if you overlook any those small out of date references, the story is timeless, heartbreaking and unforgettable. All the thoughts, conversations, internal turmoil that our heroine goes through as she is struggling with her family that is trying to get through her mother's fight with cancer and how she naturally feels a kinship with the vampire's desire to avenge his own mother's death is pitch perfect.

Fell flat 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have read all the Twilight Series, loved them. Wanted to read something like that so I read the reviews sounded good. Over all the book was okay, I have to admit that it was hard to want to put the book down, because you felt for the characters but didnt have the romance I wanted. I didnt really like the ending either, it fell flat.
Borrow this from the library, fast read.

Editorial Review:

A mysterious teenage boy harboring a dark secret helps Zoèe come to terms with her mother's terminal illness.

Haunted (The Mediator, Book 5)

Meg Cabot

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 99 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

LOVED IT!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is simply amazing! I loved it loved it loved it! If you even LIKE Meg Cabot you are going to fall in love with her writing in this one! It is simply amazing and just fantastic! I definitely did not expect it to be this great but it was!! Buy with confidence- you are going to love this book!! I've read it at least eight times!

Incredible 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

These books were on the edge of your seat incredible. I enjoyed them very much and never wanted to put them down.

Haunted Homework 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'll admit, when I started reading this, I felt a little lost. I think there was a book before this one, but I could follow the story based on that assumption. Most holes were filled in, which made it easier to follow.
I really did enjoy the story. The names, actually, made the book more interesting for me. Being a person who usually reads manga, names such as CeeCee, or Susannah, or Paul.
Being a romantic, I loved the triangle between Jesse Suze and Paul. Trust a girl to unknowingly lead two men on while thinking the guy she loves hates her. A classic, and almost cliche. It would be, if Jesse weren't a ghost. That was probably my favorite part. Suze was in love with a ghost, and the ghost didn't want to hold her back but couldn't let her go!
I couldn't help but get all jumpy and smiley while I was reading the last chapter!

Editorial Review:

Suze is used to trouble, but this time she's in deep: Ghostly Jesse has her heart, but Paul Slater, a real flesh—and—blood guy, is warm for her form. And mediator Paul knows how to send Jesse to the Great Beyond. For good.

Paul claims he won't do anything to Jesse as long as Suze will go out with him. Fearing she'll lose Jesse forever, Suze agrees. But even if Suze can get Jesse to admit his true feelings for her, what kind of future can she have with a guy who's already dead?

Killing Mr. Griffin

Lois Duncan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 226 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Student's Review 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I had to do a book report recently and was hoping to read I Know What You Did Last Summer, also by Lois DUncan. The Library didn't have it, so i picked up Killing Mr. Griffin. It was one of the best books i have ever read. Each chapter fed me something else, and kept me wondering. If i was reading late at night, it was soooo hard to put down the book. At 223 or so pages it only took about 2 or 3 days to finsh, but is a good read and is worth it. I haven't seen the movie and can only hope that they do the book dignity and do not add any crazy story twists or side plots that make no sense.

PS: I still have one question, though, even after finishing the book. Duncan hinted at it through out the novel, and i hoped she would resolve this before the end but no. Is there a sequel??? I sure hope! I'm rambling, but anyway, READ THIS BOOK!

Editorial Review:

High school can be tough. But with teachers like Mr. Griffin it can seem impossible.

They only planned to scare him. But sometimes even the best-laid plans go wrong.

Companions of the Night

Vivian Vande Velde

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 156 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good and bad points 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Good book but way too short. There could have been more conversation(there was literally a handful of dialogue between the main character & vampire). Alot more detail and vampire history could have been added, it always seemed lacking. When the tale was good, it was GOOD. lots of potential just not enough meat and potatoes lol. The ending was disappointing to top it off.

A Great Novel 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

About ten years ago, I picked up this book for the first time. It has been my favorite book ever since. I wish only that she had made this into a series, because I fell in love with the characters. Another wonderful gift for a teenage girl.

If you enjoyed this book, also check out The Silver Kiss and Blood and Chocolate.

Editorial Review:

Kerry's got a tough night ahead of her.
What begins as a simple lost-and-found trip to the Laundromat turns into a nightmarish odyssey of murder, vampires, and--quite possibly--true love. Vivian Vande Velde puts a terrifying spin on what should be a typical night in a small town.

The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story

Susan Hill

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What real reader does not yearn, somewhere in the recesses of his or her heart, for a really literate, first-class thriller - one that chills the body with foreboding of dark deeds to come, but warms the soul with perceptions and language at once astute and vivid? In other words, a ghost story by Jane Austen.

Austen we cannot, alas, give you, but Susan Hill's remarkable Woman In Black comes as close as the late twentieth century is likely to provide. Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero one Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north to attend the funeral and settle the estate of Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare: the rocking chair in the nursery of the deserted Eel Marsh House, the eerie sound of pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and, most dreadfully, and for Kipps most tragically, the woman in black.

The Woman In Black is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler - proof positive that that neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all.