book review – Page 13 – booksandopinions.com

Wolf’s Head – Steven A. McKay

February 25, 2015AngelaLeave a comment

Book One in “The Forest Lord” series.

“The Wolf’s Head” gives a whole new look at Robin Hood. Adam Bell is the leader of a group of outlaws whom Robin is forced to join, both for his survival, and protection. Little John and Friar Tuck join the story quite close to the beginning, and make it that much more interesting.

Due to an obnoxious church Prior, Robin Hood has to go on the run for defending the honor of his girlfriend, Matilda. Robin quickly adjusts to life as an outlaw, proving his worth to the others who are living in the woods.

Things get very interesting when Adam goes to the sheriff, promising to turn over Robin Hood and the rest of the outlaws in order to be granted a pardon. It takes the outlaws a bit of time to learn to trust Robin as their leader, due to his young age and newness to the group. They know he’s good, they just don’t know about taking orders from him.

Robin leads the outlaws on several missions to right the wrongs committed by others, and manages to save Matilda from a horrible fate, and bring a father and daughter back together.

This is not normally the type of story I would pick up and read, but I thought it was fantastic and would definitely read more in this series. It is full of adventure, humor, friends, and forgiveness. It is fast-paced and you will not find yourself feeling bored while reading it, but you will wonder how time went by so fast when you stop long enough to look at a clock. This is certainly a story that is easy to get caught up in, and you will be glad you did!

You can find this story on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfs-Head-Forest-Lord-ebook/dp/B00DSCDZFY

What I Am Reading Right Now…

February 24, 2015Angela3 Comments

…and is freaking me out to no end! It has been a long time since I have been laying in my bed, reading a story, and it completely unhinged me so much that I put it down.

Asylum. By Madeliene Roux. I bought this book, and the second in the series, Sanctum, without knowing anything about either.

I told my 13-year old she could read them after me, but I am now seriously questioning that statement. I do not think I can let her read them.

I am keeping it short-and-sweet. Did you read these? What did you think?

Zombie Sheriff – Geoff Lynch

February 18, 2015AngelaLeave a comment

As my Accounting for Managers class officially starts tomorrow, I am going to try to get my hands on as many short stories as I can. I do have a mystery novel I am about halfway through, but it will likely be this weekend before I can attempt to get it finished.

Sheriff Ed Pool is a zombie living in Idaho. One of three zombies (two surviving) that were protected and given rights as any other normal, living citizen. Okay, the first one wasn’t protected all that well; he was burned to death (his second death) before he could even make it to his home after being granted freedom and rights. Matthew Schultz is the other surviving zombie, and is a police officer working for Sheriff Pool.

Dr. Dorn is being charged with murder, as he cut the heart out of a Doctor who fired him hours before, and threw it against the operating room wall. He confessed to Sheriff Pool, but forgot to ask for immunity from the death penalty before doing so. Trying to bribe Sheriff Pool that he could help him become more human, Dr. Dorn is doing whatever he can to stay alive.

The Sheriff’s second deputy is also a zombie, although no one knows this until they try to execute her on kidnapping charges, rip her head off in the process, and she fails to die.

All-in-all, the kind folks in this small town seem to be tired on dealing with this small population of 3 zombies. The 3 zombies do not live happily ever after here.

I did like this short story, it was a quick, fun read, but there seemed to not be a driving theme to the story, and the conclusion, as a whole. I guess I just could not find a point in writing this story at all, without there being a strong beginning (it had that), a great conflict (it kind of had that), and a resolution (it did not really have that).

There were numerous spelling errors in this story; and they appeared to increase the closer I came to the end of the story. I will definitely look up some of Mr. Lynch’s other stories, as I do feel he has a real talent. I think I am just used to having surprise-I-never-saw-that-coming type of endings with short stories.

Prince Caspian – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

February 10, 2015Angela6 Comments

One of my favorites from the Narnia series, this story had me laughing out loud, angry, and sad, all in one setting. The thing I enjoy most about C.S. Lewis and his writing is how he just puts it out there. Right there; yes, for you to see, and contemplate, and enjoy.

Okay, enough reminiscing.

There are some great lines in this story, as well as the others, that make me remember them long after I read them.

Chapter 3: “The worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early.”

The Pevensies wanted to go back to Narnia, but they did not know what that would cost them. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir, being denied his throne by his uncle. It is a quick story, with all of the allegories you come to expect from Mr. Lewis. And I have to honestly say; Reep-a-Cheep is likely my favorite “character” out of all of them! Well, except for Aslan, of course!

If you have seen the movie, I have to say it is quite different from the story, but I do enjoy the movie as well. How did you feel about this installment in the Narnia series?

The Rocks – Frederick Morse

February 9, 2015AngelaLeave a comment

This was a great period story set in 1853-1857. It concerns a young man named Olin Collins; a 14 year old orphan who has been living in the local library since his mom died when he was nine. His aunt works at the library and had no room for him at home. Olin quickly became the most important person in his small town, making money to support himself, and using the knowledge he learned from reading books to help others in his town.

He managed to save enough money to buy what was believed, by the adults, to be a worthless piece of land, full of huge rocks that would cost too much money to move. Gathering up several other orphan boys who got by on their wits, he created a town, “The Rocks”, that every single adult came to rely on for income or other necessities. Using what he learned from the books in the library, he managed to break the rocks, sell them to the town mason, tap the trees for sap to sell to the grocer, and use the timber he cut to build small houses for the orphans and himself.

There is a lot to this story, and many detailed scientific experiments. This is how Olin made his money; showing the men in town things that sounded impossible, but were perfectly easy to do because of science. He would charge a fee to see the demonstration, and they would pay it.

This story also touches on real issues that were going on in the states in this pre-Civil War era. Slaves were being transported to Canada where the laws could not force them back to their owners, states were fighting each other, and no one was sure what the future would hold.

If you enjoy history stories or period novels, I think this is one you would enjoy as well. If you give it a try, let me know how you liked it!

As you may recall, I reviewed another book by Mr. Morse, called “The Scimitar and the Glory Boxes”. This was the review I sent on to him only to find out that he had recently passed away. I will be passing this review on to his Widow as I promised I would, and will be reading another of his books in the near future. You can find that first review here: https://booksandopinions.com/2014/12/24/the-scimitar-and-the-glory-boxes-frederick-morse/

Bookmarked For Death – Lorna Barrett

February 8, 2015Angela1 Comment

Book 2 in The Booktown Mystery series did not disappoint! Tricia Miles is now contending with her sister, Angelica Miles, being a full-time resident in Stoneham, New Hampshire. Angelica bought “The Cookery” bookstore after the murder of Doris Gleason, the first murder Tricia found herself caught in the middle of.

http://lornabarrett.com/bookmarked-for-death/

Zoe Carter, National Bestselling Author and local resident, finally agrees to a book tour, her first ever. Her last stop is at “Haven’t Got A Clue”, Tricia’s mystery bookstore. When Ms. Carter ends up strangled in the bathroom after the less-than-stellar book signing, Tricia once again finds herself caught in the middle, between any number of possible suspects, and Sheriff Wendy Adams, who may very well be Tricia’s biggest enemy.

Tricia seems to have another enemy, as she gets closer to discovering who the killer is, and the killer is bound and determined to stop her, even if it means she is the next murder victim. Tricia needs to figure out how Ms. Carter’s niece is involved, as well as her faithful employee Mr. Everett, and a host of other members of this (usually) peaceful, quiet town.

This is a great read that you will get through in no time, and as an added bonus, there are several recipes included that Angelica has prepared throughout the story.

To learn more about Lorna Barrett and this series of books, be sure to visit her website here: http://lornabarrett.com/

A fun cartoon from Lorna's website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com — A fun cartoon from Lorna’s website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com

Inkheart – Cornelia Funke

February 1, 2015Angela2 Comments

One of my favorite series, Inkheart wraps it all up into one: A book about books.

Mo has a gift; a gift of reading the characters right out of stories. Just like he read his wife Resa right out of his life, and into this world where she is captive;she lost her voice, but is searching for her husband and daughter.

Meggie is trying to figure out the whole story of why her Mother has been gone so long, and why her father refuses to tell her anything. But there are others who already know about Mo’s gift, and need to use it to their advantage. The fact that Meggie has this gift will follow her wherever she goes.

I am trying to avoid spoilers, but if you have read this whole series, I would love to hear what you thought about it!

You cannot help but get caught up in the secondary characters in this story; they all take you right back to your favorite stories.

We Go Again – Michael Cargill

January 26, 2015Angela2 Comments

While strolling through the blog posts for authors, I came across Michael Cargill’s post, where he announced that his new book was available, free, and he would appreciate a review in return. Just my thing, right? And, it takes place during WWII, and I am a huge history buff, so double bonus.

Triple bonus? This story was amazing! The writing was brilliant, the characters were well developed, and the scenery was written so vividly that I could see everything as if I was watching it happen.

It is a short story, and I wished it went on for twice as many chapters. I definitely do not want to give away any spoilers, but you get to meet James, and David, and Piper. Along with their Captain who is pretty useless, and a cast of other characters that round out this story. It is graphic, but how could something about WWII not be? So just be prepared if you are overly-squeamish. There were parts of this story where I was literally holding my breath while I was reading it, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Do you want to give this story a read? You definitely should! You can find the links for it on Michael’s WordPress page, here: https://michaelcargill.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/we-go-again-my-new-book-is-now-available-free-for-reviewers-and-subscribers/

I would also like to ask that anyone who gets the free copy to be so kind as to leave a review for Michael on Amazon and Goodreads. If you pick up this story, I would love to hear what you thought about it!

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015Angela5 Comments

Since I reviewed my favorite Narnia book, I thought I may as well just work right through the series. Probably not consecutively though. I will keep this review light and simple, since so many are familiar with this story.

This is the story where we meet Digory Kirke again, except now he is Professor Kirke, and he is who the Pevensie’s go to stay with while the war is happening. The wardrobe that Lucy steps through to find Narnia? That wardrobe is made from the first tree that was planted in Narnia in book one, “The Magician’s Nephew“.

Lucy has a hard time convincing her siblings of this wonderful world she found, and even Edmund lies to Peter and Susan about it after he went there himself. Older brothers, right?

Nothing like a bit of Turkish Delight to get Edmund tangled up with the White Witch!

While trying to hide from the housekeeper, all 4 of the Pevensie’s climb into the wardrobe, and step in Narnia. Edmund gets an earful for lying, Susan wants to return to the professor’s home, and Peter and Lucy want to explore. They meet the Beaver’s, who are one of my favorite parts of this story!

Dinner with the Beaver's — Dinner with the Beaver’s

Edmund decides to go find the White Witch, because she promised to make him a King. Since he is tired of being bossed around by Peter and Susan, this is just the ticket for him. But of course, it’s not. He manages to get all four of them in a heap of trouble, and it takes Aslan to get them out of it.

This is the first story that was made into a movie, although I used to watch this as a cartoon when I was growing up. It must have been in the late 70’s, and it was shown once a year, kind of like The Wizard of Oz was shown. It was always on a weekend, and it was a big deal to watch this cartoon movie. Maybe that is why I never read the books when I was growing up!

If you would like more information about this series of books, be sure to visit the Narnia website here: https://www.narnia.com/us

The Magician’s Nephew – The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis

January 21, 2015Angela12 Comments

Out of all 7 of the stories in The Chronicles of Narnia series, I think “The Magician’s Nephew” is my favorite one! I never read these stories during my childhood (I have no idea why!) but I have read them several times in my recent past. This is a series that I get to share with my girls, and they like it as much as I do.

My copy is a bit tattered and worn, or as I like to think of it; very well loved!

Well, maybe not as much, but they like it none-the-less!

The Magician’s Nephew takes you through how Narnia came to be, along with Aslan, the White Witch, and Professor Kirke, or Digory Kirke in this story. The first tree that gets planted in Narnia has significance in future stories as well.

The Uncle is soon to show his true colors!

Digory is staying with his Aunt and Uncle, due to his mother having a severe illness. Extremely upset by this situation, he goes in the backyard, crying, and meets the neighbor, a girl his age named Polly. It does not take long for them to decide to start exploring the attics of the townhouses they live in. They are all connected through the roof, so they can get from one end to the other.

Leave it to Digory to sneak right into his own townhouse, and right into his Uncle’s secret room. This is where things get really interesting.

His Uncle sees Digory and Polly as the perfect pair to test out his magic rings. And let me be clear on this; these are real magic rings. As soon as Polly puts a ring on and disappears, Digory quickly sees what a coward his Uncle really is. Digory has no choice but to put a ring on himself and see if he can find Polly and bring her back.

Digory finds Polly, and they begin their amazing adventures into many different worlds. One world holds the White Witch, whom Digory and Polly end up bringing right back into their world.

The uncle is thrilled, Digory is furious, and someone had better figure out how to fix this mess, and quick!

I will not go further into the story with spoilers, but this is indeed how we got our Narnia. There are many situations that will test Digory’s morals, and with the help of Aslan, he attempts to put things right again. Or as right as possible considering he has unleashed the White Witch unto the world.

This is just the beginning of one of my very favorite series, and I have read these books to my girls until they were able to read them themselves.

Do you have a favorite Chronicles of Narnia book?

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