The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre

By: Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 385

Published: 2017

Told In: First Person

Compare to:

Goose Girl, Shannon Hale

Shadow Spinner, Susan Fletcher

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanley

In a nutshell:

Perry, raised in a war driven culture with prejudices against the serving Bamarre, doesn’t know that she is actually of Bamarre descent. Learning the truth about her heritage brings new challenges and the desire to free her oppressed people.

What you may enjoy:

This book has great themes and fun characters. Levine creates a beautiful world. Perry inspires readers by making big changes through small actions. Heartwarming and fun!

What you may NOT enjoy:

Not one of Levine’s best books. While enjoyable, there is no push to keep reading. Some parts seem arbitrary and unnecessary.

Note: Although this book is placed in the same world as Levine’s “Two Princesses of Bamarre,” both books can stand-alone. (Although, readers may recognize the name of one common character)

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man loses leg below the knee; Woman hit in the chest by a horse and dies; Men hit over the head; Boy kills a man; Woman’s throat cut open, laying in a pool of blood; Ogre stabbed in the leg and bleeds; Woman slapped; Woman punched; Man whipped; Children killed; Gryffins stabbed and killed; Gryffins shot with arrows; Ogres killed; Woman stabbed in the shoulder; Man convulses and dies

Sex and Nudity:

Boy and girl kiss

Language and Profanity:

None

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Terrier

By: Tamora Pierce

Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery

Pages: 584

Published: 2006

Told in: First Person

Series: Beka Cooper, #1 (A Tortall Legend)

Compare to:

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanely

Graceling, Kristin Cashore

The Blue Sword, Robin McKinnley

In a nutshell:

Beka is training in the city’s law-enforcement, known as “the Provost’s Dogs.” She works in the roughest part of town, the Lower City. Life in the slums is worse than ever as children and workers are going missing and only Beka can solve the mystery because she has a secret of her own―she can hear the voices of the dead.

What you may enjoy:

This book features a strong female lead. It skips Pierces usual “training” books and jumps right into the action and mystery. It contains a small romantic interest without being a romance. The world and magic system of Tortall are unique and consistent, while the characters are engaging.  

What you may NOT enjoy:

This is not a happy book. There is a lot of death in this, much of it focused around small children. There is little moral fiber since the area is run by thieves and thugs. Beka’s “tragic flaw” is weak and inconsistent. And while the book is meant to be a journal, it does not read like one.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Woman hangs herself, mentioned; dead baby found (several times), mentioned; man beats woman; 18 people murdered; woman clubbed in the face; men brawl; woman cuts a man’s face; people beaten with batons (throughout the book); arms broken; hands broken; jaw broken; arm cut; face elbowed; brawls; children drowned; children murdered; children strangled; woman murdered; woman held forcibly; man knocked unconscious (2 times); woman bites man’s hand; girl kicks a man between the legs; two dead bodies covered with a sheet; people poisoned; man’s throat cut; woman held at knife point; man hit in the stomach; cat attacks woman; woman poisons herself; man’s skull broken; man’s legs hit; two people lay bleeding; men drowned; man kicked in the stomach; man found dead; man stabs himself in the throat; girl punched; dead bodies unburied.

Sex and Nudity:

Breasts referred to as “peaches”; sex mentioned several times; male prostitutes; female prostitutes; man in a loin cloth flexes; man pulls pants on after implied sex; naked man hides under covers; man walks around shirtless; woman walks around in her underwear; man and woman kiss.

Language and Profanity:

Bitch (3 times), ass

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Drunk woman threatens family; women get drunk; people get drunk and riot. 

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