The Swan Kingdom

Goodreads Synopsis:    A new voice in fantasy weaves a rich, entrancing tale of a girl with powerful healing gifts —- and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.

Shadows fall across the beautiful, lush kingdom after the queen is attacked by an unnatural beast, and the healing skills of her daughter, Alexandra, cannot save her. Too soon the widowed king is spellbound by a frightening stranger, a woman whose eyes reflect no light. In a terrifying moment, all Alexandra knows disappears, including her beloved brothers, leaving her banished to a barren land. But Alexandra has more gifts than she realizes as she confronts magic, murder, and the strongest of evil forces, and is unflinchingly brave as she struggles to reclaim what is rightfully hers. Fantasy lovers will be held in thrall by this tale full of visual detail, peppered with a formidable destructive force and sweetened with familial and romantic love.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a unique story. I enjoyed it. 

-    I liked how the 4 siblings worked together in the beginning. I have 3 older brothers as well.

-    The style and the way the story was told was different. I liked it for the most part, but sometimes it got a little slow.

-    I forgot the title of the fairy tale, but this is a retelling of the siblings turned into swans and a sister must make clothes for them to change them back. 

-    This is one of those books where I liked it, but I don't know what to say about it. It was a nice story. 

Calamity Jack

Goodreads Synopsis:    Jack likes to think of himself as a criminal mastermind…with an unfortunate amount of bad luck. A schemer, plotter, planner, trickster, swindler...maybe even thief? One fine day Jack picks a target a little more giant than the usual, and one little bean turns into a great big building-destroying beanstalk.

With help from Rapunzel (and her trusty braids), a pixie from Jack’s past, and a man with inventions from the future, they just might out-swindle the evil giants and put his beloved city back in the hands of good people ....while catapulting themselves and readers into another fantastical adventure.

My Thoughts:

-    Like I've said before, triple Hale = triple the fun!

-    I love this retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk! It is kinda steampunky! 

-    I think it is kinda weird that Rapunzel still carries her cut off braids around for lassos. Couldn't she get a rope now?

-    I like how the giants ran the city and were causing havoc. It was a cool twist to the original giants.

-    Poor Jack is not the confident schemer he was in Rapunzel's Revenge. He has some self doubt, and I like that he has to find his courage.

-    The Illustrations are great, of course. 

-    I liked the new members of the gang. I liked the inventor guy (I can't remember his name), but he was fun. I really liked the pixies, and I loved the crazy beasts guarding the tower.

-    I read this to my daughter, and she loved it! Gnome kept expressing concern for Jack, and she really wanted those giants to go down! This is a great read for kids and their parents.

Sisters Red

From Goodreads:    Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

My Thoughts:

-    It was interesting, but then it got DUMB!!

-    I liked that one of the heroines was marred and scarred. It was different, new, and fun to read about a girl who isn't hot. I liked it. She was a hardened warrior, but was insecure about her looks. 

-    I really love the cover! It is fun and funky. I stare at it a lot.

-    I liked the contrast between the sisters. They were so different, but they really complimented each other. I liked how much they cared for each other and took care of each other. I was kind of a mean big sister, and I teased and picked on my little sis. I wish our relationship had been more like this, but I suppose that is what horrendous experiences does to people.

-    There was some heavy language, not frequent, but there were some f-bombs.

-    It took me a few chapters to really catch on to the time period. I knew they were in the now, but I kept picturing an old village from the dark ages kind of thing. Rose and Scarlett wore red cloaks, and hunted with axes and knives. Wouldn't people notice and gawk at that? Why didn't they hunt with guns? It would have been more proficient, and they wouldn't get cut up so much.

-    I didn't like how young Rosie was. The things she was doing and stuff. I wish she had been 18 and Scarlett 20, instead of 16 and 18. I especially didn't like Rosie's relationship with Silas because of the age difference. He was 21!! Hello!! That is illegal!! He shouldn't be going after 16 year olds! Gross!

-    The book was predictable, and I really don't like it when the story is predictable.

-    The ending was LAME!! I felt like it was a cheap Hollywood trick type of thing! It could have been handled differently. I was really disappointed!