Keys to the Demon Prison

Keys to the Demon Prison is the fifth and final book in the Fablehaven series. I am not sure how I felt about the conclusion of the Fablehaven series.

The build up was awesome and awe inspiring however I kept feeling like there was not enough time for everything to occur since it got down to the last couple of chapters. Overall it felt like the big ending was rushed and just sort of thrown together to finish off the story. I had hoped for more twists and turns and suspense.

I do like how Seth turned out, he learned a lot from his actions and how to deal with the events life tosses at him. Kendra was a huge disappointment for me in a lot of ways, I wanted more from her. While she is this immense ball of magic she never seemed to want to embrace it or use it for more then being a large battery for things.

Despite my drawbacks with the Fablehaven series I would consider reading other works by Brandon Mull he has an interesting writing style and I do like some of the character development he produces. 

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary is the fourth book in the Fablehaven series and I am thankful that I enjoyed it immensely.

I read Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary quickly and it because of that it blurred together with Keys to the Demon Prison.

Both characters have their flaws and good points. I actually like Seth more then Kendra since I see more personal growth with Seth and him learning from his mistake. Kendra continues to be the same still scared and hiding and never wanting to tap into the potential amount of magic inside her.

I hope for more character growth and both Kendra and Seth to mature while learning from their past.

The Breaking

I was bored one night and just randomly sorted my Nook books by date and choose the oldest one I had not read which was the novella The Breaking.

Upon seeing the cover and the description I was hesitant to try The Breaking but I was pleasantry surprised. It is really hard to put into words anything about The Breaking, as I was reading all I was able to do was compare it to the writing I read in philosophy. Even several days later after reading it I still keep finding different parts of the story to compare things to in real life.

Daughter of tbe Pirate King

Daughter of the Pirate King was an impulse check out from the library due to a fun cover.

Alosa is an amazing well rounded character. I loved her fears, strengths, self assurance, and wit. I found Alosa a believeable likeable character whom I cheered to win but also got mad at.
 
The writing was lovely and elegant. I could not get enough.




*Sorry for the short review. My right hand is injured and typing with one hand is tedious.

Grip of the Shadow Plague

Grip of the Shadow Plague is the third book in the Fablehaven series. So far it was my least favorite of the three books.

I am excited to see that Seth has grown and learned a lot since his encounter with the faeries. Learning precautions and boundaries Seth is slowly becoming a man while still finding his share of mishaps. Wanting to help in any way he can Seth is determined to find his own special gifts that will allow him to advance his understanding of magical creatures.

Kendra is not nearly as developed as Seth, I see her constantly going in a circle with who she is. The same things keep happening to her with the same outcome it feels like. I want to see her break out of her cycle of constantly begging others for help and stepping up to help herself.

The story just seemed slower to me in Grip of the Shadow Plague. No real answers were given to problems and while new problems arose they were not as interesting to me. I do plan on continuing the series but first I have some other books I have to enjoy.

The Program

The cover of The Program has intrigued me for awhile and when I saw the library had a copy available I checked it out.

Sloane is terrified of the Program, along with the rest of the teenage population. Going throughout her day doing her best to mask the feelings of sadness and hopelessness Sloane fears that one little slip up will get her sent to the Program. She cannot trust her teachers, her classmates, even her parents, they are always watching waiting for the shell to crack. The only person Sloane can trust is James her long time boyfriend. With his strength to lean on she is able to keeping holding on day after day growing weaker with each even in her life.

I have mixed feelings about The Program, it defiantly left me with lots of questions and no clear answer as to why teens are killing themselves at such a high rate. Since everything is told from Sloane's point of view I was never really able to get a good understanding of the other characters or how they felt about the Program besides fear. I do plan on reading The Treatment once it becomes available at the library.

Puddin'

Puddin' is the second book in the Dumplin' series and I was not sure I wanted to read it at first. However when I was loading up my Nook for a road trip I saw it was available at the local library so I check it out and I am glad I did.

Millie dreams of attending summer broadcast camp and finally ditching out on the weight lose Daisy camp however her mother has different ideas for her. Determined to have the world accept her as she is Millie ignores her mother's desire for her to be thin and continue to try to diet and lose weight. Millie is a strong character who despite being bullied for her she looks does not hold it against people. When her uncle's gym is trashed by some angry teenage girls Millie is key in identifying one of the girls and as a punishment the girl is forced to work at the gym to pay off her debt.

Callie has it all, she is next in line to lead the Shamrocks as captain, has a hot boyfriend, and is determined to help her team attend state and then nationals. Living the good life she loses it all when she participates in vandalizing a local gym. Horrified at being discovered she takes the fall for the team and is forced to work at the gym along with Millie, whom she has bullied most of her life.

The two girls learn about differences and how to overcome them. I loved the real life interactions between Millie and Callie. I could see the conversations happening. Julie Murphy has a smooth and pleasant ability when it comes to writing. One thing bothers me though I want to know why Malik sat with Millie, he did not seem like the type of person who was incapable of sitting in a regular desk like the other students. I would not be against reading another companion novel in the Dumplin' series.