The Silver Cord by Erik Stevens. © 2005 Tate Publishing. ISBN 1933290129. Paperback. Christian Science Fiction. 202 pages. $16.95 US. [ Purchase ] Source: review copy from publisher

While the premise of a story about the fight of Good versus Evil on an angelic plane sounds, if not promising, at least interesting, unfortunately The Silver Cord falls short. True, Stevens does deliver on the action promised, and as the author’s blurb states, his military background must have provided considerable background knowledge. However, beyond the intriguing premise, I struggled to connect with the book and maintain focus.

While the characters tried to remain consistent, they felt somewhat overdone, perhaps in the style of a screenplay where attributes have to be played up in order for the audience to pick up on them. Characters are the backbone of a story, and without a believable protagonist, the reader has the impossible job of crafting her own story grip to maintain interest. Certain aspects of the characters were overdeveloped by excessive adjectives, metaphors, and similes, but other facets were thrown suddenly into the reader’s face. Although Kent McVay and his wife were supposed to be Christians, there was nothing in their interactions or characters that would lead me to this conclusion until it was bluntly stated. Read the rest of this entry »

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling. © 2008 Children’s High Level Group. ISBN 978-0-7475-9987-6. Hardcover. Fiction. 109 pages. $12.99 US. [ Purchase ]

Synopsis
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione is given The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book containing five fairy tales: ‘The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,’ ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune,’ ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,’ ‘Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump’ and ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers.’ The last one, ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’ is the story that introduces the Deathly Hallows – three magical objects that will cause the person who has them all to become the “master of death.”

Originally, there were only seven copies of this book made, but in late 2008, it was released to the mass market. This book includes all five fairy tales, as well as commentary on each one by Dumbledore.

Review
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Curses, Inc. and Other Stories by Vivian Vande Velde. © 2007 Magic Carpet Books (Harcourt). ISBN 978-0-15-206107-4. Trade Paperback; Reissue Edition. Ages 12 and Up. 226 pages. $6.95 US. [ Purchase ]

Synopsis
A collection of ten witchy tales for teens and young adults, ranging from comical to unforgettable.

Review
I think my favorite of the ten tales is unquestionably ‘Witch-Hunt’ as it leads you on a spooky journey with a fantastically true and hilarious ending that will have girls everywhere relating to it. ‘Curses, Inc’ is another story that stuck out to me, with its ironic turn of events and ‘Boy Witch’ was refreshing as we rarely hear of tales of male witches. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Afterword. As a aspiring writer myself, I very much enjoy hearing what inspires fellow writers and Vivian Velde doesn’t disappoint.

The art on the cover is fantastic as well. I never get tired of seeing what the mind of Cliff Nielsen can cook up, he is definitely an inspiration to a fellow digital artist. Overall, this is a brilliant compilation of tales for anyone interested in the supernatural, or needs a batch of stories for their next sleepover or Halloween party.

Crashing Paradise: A Novel of the Menagerie by Christopher Golden and Tom E. Sniegoski. © 2007 Ace Books. (August 28, 2007) ISBN 978-0-441-01532-0. Paperback. Dark Fantasy. 278 pages. $7.99 US. [ Purchase ]

“In the fourth novel of the Menagerie, the Legion of Doom is hell-bent on breaking into Eden, and they’ve got the perfect captive to assist them: Eve, mother of all humanity—and all vampires. Only Doyle and the Menagerie can stop them from turning a blessed garden into a paradise lost.” [from the back cover]

While this is the first of the Menagerie series that I have read, I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless (this is one series you can pick up at anytime and still get the gist and understand what’s going on). Co-author Tom Sniegoski, known for the highly suspenseful and riveting “Fallen” series (dealing with fallen angels, recently made into a three part miniseries by ABC Family), has let this knowledge of Biblical mythos seep into the pages and help create a whole new world for readers to enjoy, while Christopher Golden displays some of his best supernatural work since the Buffy series. This book is chalked full of vampires, shape shifters, demons, angels and more, yet isn’t overwhelming to the reader to keep up with everyone and everything. Read the rest of this entry »