Review: The Novice (Taran Matharu)

Title: The Novice
Series: Summoner, Book 1
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Told: Third Person (Fletcher), Past Tense
Content Rating: Teen (violence, some language)
Format Read: ARC (Bibliopunkk)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

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In a Sentence: A mashup of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings that, as long as you don't mind the stark similarities, I found rather entertaining.

Cover: The cover cannot go unmentioned because it is an accurate representation - coat, demon, weapons, marks. I have never appreciated a cover more!

Setting: A fantasy world with elves, dwarves, orcs, and demons that can be summoned and harnessed from another world. While it smacked of Lord of the Rings because of the fantasy characters and basic universe structure, each race had a few unique qualities that I hadn't come across before. I even liked the dwarves, which has never happened.

Story: This story began like most high fantasies for me, which is to say I had a rather hard time getting into it. I actually almost gave up a few chapters in, but decided to stick with it and soldiered through. I was soon rewarded, but in the familiar form of Harry Potter as orphan Fletcher, suddenly discovering he has powers, ends up enrolled in a school of magic. Around the same time, the world soon came into focus as one not unlike that of Lord of the Rings, relationships strained between the humans, dwarves, and elves, and all struggling against the vicious orcs. I will admit that at first the similarities were a little too stark, and even after I accepted them they continued to nag at me throughout the book. But since I hadn't read either of the popular series in such a long time (and missed Harry Potter something fierce), I eventually found the similar story and characters a passable substitute and let myself be entertained.

Characters: The cast was made up of an interesting and unique bunch of characters, even as they reminded me of similar characters from Harry Potter. Fletcher was fiercely loyal to his friends and his beliefs, and once he made up his mind about both there was little that could change it. He fought with his whole heart and never considered easier, more tempting paths - he did what he thought was right and never looked back. He was like every strong hero before him and yet not quite like any one in particular, and I found him worth following and rooting for no matter what.

Romantic Relationship: There was no romance, which I found highly refreshing - not every YA has to have romance, although most seem to feel the need to add it whether it quite fits or not. I'm sure we'll get some romance in future books, though.

Writing: A little more dense than I usually like, but probably a lot less dense than normal high fantasies. The description was easy to picture and the movement relatively easy to follow.

Conclusion: Similarities to popular fantasy series aside, I found this an entertaining read and recommend it for fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (and possibly Percy Jackson) that are looking for a similar fix and don't mind how close it gets. This is the first in a trilogy, and after the cliffhanger ending I'll be interested in continuing Fletcher's magical adventures in the next book, The Inquisition (May 2016).

For Fans Of: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson

Scribble Rating: 

3.5 out of 5 Scribbles

Review: The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak (Brian Katcher)

Title: The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak
Series: standalone
Author: Brian Katcher
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Told: First Person Duo (Zak & Ana), Present Tense
Content Rating: Teen (language, violence)
Format Read: ARC (trade)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

It all begins when Ana Watson's little brother, Clayton, secretly ditches the quiz bowl semifinals to go to the Washingcon sci-fi convention on what should have been a normal, résumé-building school trip.

If slacker Zak Duquette hadn't talked up the geek fan fest so much, maybe Clayton wouldn't have broken nearly every school rule or jeopardized Ana’s last shot at freedom from her uptight parents.

Now, teaming up with Duquette is the only way for Ana to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, bikini-clad princesses, Trekkies, and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon.

But in spite of Zak's devil-may-care attitude, he has his own reasons for being as lost as Ana-and Ana may have more in common with him than she thinks. Ana and Zak certainly don’t expect the long crazy night, which begins as a nerdfighter manhunt, to transform into so much more…

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In a Sentence: A fun and funny contemporary romance that made me laugh and satisfied my con fix.

Before you pick up this book, I think there are two things you should know:

1: Suspension of disbelief is a must. The word "improbable" is in the title for a reason - this story reads like a zany and rather unrealistic teen romance movie, entertainment purely for its sake, and should therefore not be taken too seriously. This was one of the few instances when I felt lucky to have skimmed the reviews before picking it up, because based on the realism disappointments of others I went into The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak with a complete suspension of disbelief and expected nothing more than a light, fun read. 

And a light, fun read was exactly what I got with this quick and funny story about a veteran attendee and disgruntled newbie at a sci-fi convention who get into one bad and usually improbable situation after another that begin with mistaken identity and rash judgment and spiral all the way into criminal confrontation as they desperately search for an escaped brother. While the situations could be a bit over the top though, the characters were realistic and flawed and relatable. Some readers may dislike Ana's attitude, but considering her circumstances I could understand where it came from. And Zak seemed a slacker, but he just hadn't found his motivation yet. Both learn and grow for the better by the end.

2: This book will probably mainly appeal to sci-fi/fantasy/comic-book convention attendees. It's rife with inside jokes and comments, and even though I've attended many cons over the years I still didn't get all of them. But I usually stick to the dealer's room and a few must-see panels and have yet to stay past dinner (health issues) so I wasn't surprised. Needless to say, this exploration into all the stuff I usually miss out on was fun and crazy and really made the book for me. But for someone who hasn't set foot in a con, I could see this being a somewhat confusing and eyebrow-raising read.

Note to Guys: Just in case it might, don't let the romance element put you off - it's very mild, and I really think guys would enjoy this book just as much as girls! It's told from both Zak and Ana's point of views, and in my opinion the arrow on the cover really should've been shot from Zak, not Ana. ;)

Conclusion: A quick and comical story that I recommend to con lovers looking for a fun read. I powered through it in two days, which means for many it should prove an excellent summer afternoon read. Will definitely be giving Brian Katcher's other works a look!

For Fans Of: sci-fi/fantasy/comic conventions

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Review: The Leveller (Julia Durango)

Title: The Leveller
Series: The Leveller, Book 1
Author: Julia Durango
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Action-Adventure
Told: First Person Singular (Nixy), Present Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (some language, violence, scary situations, phobias, innuendo)
Format Read: ARC (won - thank you, Brittany!)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them. 

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

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In a Sentence: A short and stellar action-adventure for gamer and non-gamer alike!

Confession Time: I've never played a video game. My parents encouraged reading instead, and by the time I was old enough to purchase them myself I decided I'd rather spend my money and time on books (parental brainwashing = complete). The closest I can claim to ever playing one is an old Mother Goose computer game at daycare (which I rocked at), and maybe a few deaths on a friend's Super Mario Bros once. All that said though, the concept of video games fascinates me, so when I found out about this story I was super-excited to read it!

Writing/Story: Coming in at just over 250 pages, part of The Leveller's charm is how short it is. Because of it, the plot gets straight to the point so we can enjoy the thrills (and chills) of the virtual reality gaming world, the MEEP. The action was short and sweet, powering through levels and obstacles without a word wasted while the description effortlessly painted its pictures with just a few vivid sentences, the world easily visualized in my head.

Setting: Set mainly in virtual reality and centered around gamers, I was a little worried about not understanding all the lingo, but Julia made this book completely accessible to gamer and non-gamer alike. I may have missed out on a few inside jokes but didn't notice, and I really enjoyed learning more about gaming and the culture.

I did have a slight problem with the real world, however. As far as I'm aware, we are still far from the ease of virtual reality that is shown in The Leveller. Never a worry with futuristic fiction, but while the MEEP resided leaps and bounds from current technology, the rest of Leveller's world did not. I noted no other advances - to the tech or anything else - and in fact the general vibe of the story (while really fun) seemed more retro than the few decades into the future that I assumed this was set in. I wasn't expecting drastic changes, but a few more other than the MEEP would've been completely plausible. We spent little time in the real world though, so I was able to overlook it for the most part.

Characters/Romantic Relationship: Nixy was sassy and snarky and I adored her. She showed great initiative and courage, going where grown men feared to tread to feed her college tuition. When she stumbled she picked herself back up, and it was simply a lucky break that she ended up with a cute boy in the end. Said cute boy Wyn was charming and easygoing and I liked him, and although I'm not quite sure I fully bought into Nixy and Wyn together I'm willing to roll with it and reserve judgment for the next book since their relationship really had very little time and opportunity to grow into much of anything.

Favorite Bit: The language cheat. In tense and seemingly unfair situations, swearing is bound to happen, but instead of subjecting readers to the usual words the author gave Nixy a proclivity for foreign swear words. She didn't abuse them though, which made me enjoy them even more.

Conclusion: A thrilling and chilling read that I recommend for anyone who enjoys a quick action-adventure virtual reality story! Really looking forward to the sequel!

For Fans Of: video games

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles