Nobody's Princess is a great historical fiction story about Helen of Troy. It does not support history but tells a mythological fiction story about her based on what we know. This was such a great girls disguised as boys themed book. I am looking forward to reading the sequel about our main woman of steel Helen. It is a very good book but it drops off at the end so you need the sequel about Helen's adventures in the Mediterranean Region.
So you know the basic idea of the fairy-tale and folklore-inspired fiction: Princess Aurore had a christening party which was interrupted by a slighted uninvited guest who casts a curse over the poor child. In the fantasy fiction curse when she turns 16 she will prick her finger and one drop of blood will fall and Aurore will die. Another guest utters a counterspell in the suspenseful tale, and the guest at least is not a fairy in this book.
Red Vengeance is not bad for a teen thriller franchise book. This is a superhero story that features Black Widow and Red Widow, her protege. It is a sequel, and I am hoping there will be a third in the series as well about Natasha's past in the shadow organizations.
What makes Dragon's Keep work for me is its approach: a medieval fantasy written more like historical fantasy than high fantasy. Yet it has that sliver of magic and magical creatures (dragons, of course) to spice up the lyrical story. In other words, the author avoids over-doing the chosen one approach, and instead creates very believable characters in a believable world.
We Rule the Night caught me completely off guard with its immersive fantasy historical fiction world and narrative of fierce women. People who like the concepts of living aircraft, military, wartime, and magic will enjoy this. There is also the idea of traitors thrown into the mix.
Three Hands for Scorpio is the last adult book for young adults of Lifetime Grand Master of Fantasy, Andre Norton, who passed away on March 17, 2005 after a long and extremely fruitful career. Her magically detailed world-building skills, upright, against-all-odds characters, and fast pace will be sorely missed. Tor rushed a copy of this book of women-of-steel into print, so that the 93-year-old author could see it before she died. It is the last manuscript she penned alone, and has an action-packed storyline.
The Secret Hour has a very imaginative paranormal premise, and it was enjoyable to read; I finished this book for reluctant readers in two sittings. I love the idea of a hidden hour after midnight where only a select few can visit, and the continuing threads of mystery and “what’s going on?” kept me reading this urban fantasy. The characters are not all best buddies, but are unique individuals with their own motivations which are shown in the fast pace.
I previously read Trickster's Choice with courageous teenage girls a little over a decade ago, and I wanted to revisit it. I had forgotten just how easy it is to get drawn into Aly’s adventures which cause her to become a slave as a girl, and I am so glad to have revisited because it was similar to visiting with an old friend. This is the story of Alianne Cooper, who wants to be a girl spy, and is the daughter of Spymaster Cooper and the famous Lioness of Tortall and champion of the throne. Certainly Tamora Pier
“Why did everyone like that story so much when it wasn’t true? Why was everyone so eager to believe it? Was it because, in real life, ever after’s generally stink?”
