The Paper Magician

By: Charlie N. Holmberg

Genre: YA Fiction/Fantasy

Pages: 224

Published: 2014

Told in: Third Person

Series: The Paper Magician Trilogy, #1

Compare to:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray

Rithmatist, Brandon Sanderson

In a nutshell:

Ceony is disappointed when she is assigned to apprentice as a paper magician, instead of metal. But, everything changes when her teacher’s heart is stolen by a dark magician. Ceony learns how powerful paper magic can be as she fights for her teacher’s life.

What you may enjoy:

The magic system is interesting and unique. Holmberg has created some fascinating magic all through the use of folded paper. The characters are engaging and fun, with depth and allure. This book is great in its uniqueness. You won’t find others out there like it.

What you may NOT enjoy:

Things get a little strange as Ceony ENTERS a heart. There are moments when your mind starts to wander as the plot becomes uninteresting. The book states the location as England in the early 1900s, but the details and dialogue don’t fit the scene.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Girl thrown back by an explosion; blood on girl; man held up in a choking grip; heart pulled from man’s chest; woman shot in the chest; woman screaming through giving birth; girl wades through a river of blood; severed animated hands reach to grab girl; hand chokes girl; dead, slaughtered bodies of men, women, and children lay rotting; woman cuts open her hand; woman throws blood at girl; man throws girl against a wall; man throws girl across a room; man pulls girl’s hair; girl cuts open arms and bleeds to death; girl slashes woman’s face; woman slaps girl.

Sex and Nudity:

Man grabs girl’s leg under her skirt; boy and girl kiss; man and woman kiss

Language and Profanity:

Damn (2 times); God (2 times)

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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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The Alchemyst

By: Michael Scott

Genre: YA/Young Reader Fantasy

Pages: 390

Published: 2010

Told in: Third Person

Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1

In a nutshell:

Nicholas Flamel has been the protector of the powerful book, the Codex. When Dr. John Dee steals the book with plans to use its power to destroy the world, teenage twins, Sophie and Josh Newman find themselves in the middle of legends and magic.

What you may enjoy:

This book is similar to the Percy Jackson series. Scott pulls from well know (and some not so well known) myths and legends and combines them in this adventurous book. The series as a whole takes place within just 10 days, so it’s fast paced with lots of action. The magic system in the book is fresh and original while the writing is simple and straight forward.

What you may NOT enjoy:

If you expect the Nicholas Flamel in this book to have any relation to the character in Harry Potter or even to the real life history of Nicholas Flamel, stop now. This book is not for you. The characters are flat and the plot line is chaotic. There is no break between events and too much (action, myth, etc) has been crammed into one book. This book has good potential but tries too hard, making it weak.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Two men thrown back from magic explosion; two creatures hit by debris; three creatures thrown back from magic explosion; creature explodes; creatures disintegrate; boy tackles man; boy thrown across a room; girl hits a man with a broom; rats swarm; girl fights a creature; creatures sliced by blades, non-graphic; rats sliced by blades, mentioned; crows swarm; car bursts into flames; woman threatens boy; boy knocked down; girl knocked unconscious; creatures battle; creatures burned; creature frozen and shattered; girl fights creatures; woman tackles man; woman dragged away by men; men thrown off their feet; creatures knocked back; creature attacks boy; boy hits a creature; woman frozen and crushed; people fight off the undead; undead predators attack a man; tornadoes kill undead; girl chops up undead; boy runs over a man with a car; building explodes; creature threatens woman.

Sex and Nudity:

None

Language and profanity:

G*d

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