Soul Eater

Summary: It's winter, and Wolf, Torak's beloved pack-brother, has been captured by an unknown foe. In a desperate bid to rescue him, Torak and Renn must brave the frozen wilderness of the Far North.

As they battle for survival amid howling blizzards and the ever-present menace of the great white bear, their friendship is tested to the breaking point, and Torak is forced to get closer to his enemies than ever before. ..(I didn't write the summary, btw)

Review:
When I first picked up this book I felt ridiculous. I’d received it for Christmas two years earlier and it had been at least three years since I had read the Ancient Chronicles of Darkness series. I remembered them being good, but obviously not enough to keep my 8-9th grade self interested for Soul Eater sat on my shelf unread for two years (a rare feat). However, I had nothing else to read and if I didn’t read before bed I wouldn’t sleep. So I picked it up.

In the beginning I was annoyed and could remember why I never got more than ten pages in. Wolf was gone, again. He always disappeared! The only reason I ever read the books was for the relationship between wolf and Torak. For the first half I found myself pushing through just to get it done, however it was around that halfway point that it got fascinatingly addicting. All I could think about was Torak and Renn and what would happen next during the day and regretting that’d I’d left the book home on my night stand. I couldn’t wait to pick it up again and see what would happen in the next chapter. I wondered if the Soul Eaters would get away with it, how was Torak ever going to get out of it? Would he ever find a place?

In books like Rogue’s home it’s the characters that make the story, in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness although Torak, Renn, and especially Wolf (my favorite character) are indeed vital parts, it’s the world in general that Paver creates that keeps the reader enticed. To imagine the ancient world where demons, spirits, and animals are always feared and respected. It puts you in a different kind of fantasy world and that world with its twists and turns is what makes the book what it is.

Rating: 4/5 I thought the beginning was annoying but by the end of book I absolutely loved it.

Reviews (not from the pros this time but many readers):

'Elegantly written and imaginatively executed, Soul Eater, is darker and edgier than the first two books, stepping up the face of this excellent series and promising plenty more adventures to come.' Rowan Stanfield, CAROUSEL

'The detailed research into prehistory and the matchless storytelling combine to create an irresistable feast for readers and it's easy to see why these books are so addictive.' (Becky Stradwick, Borders THE BOOKSELLER )

[being compared to William Nicholson's Jango] 'exceptional storytelling... Both Paver and Nicholson create fully realised fictional worlds that are far removed from our own but utterly relevant and convincing. I eagerly await the next installments.' (Angela Lockton, The Golden Treasury THE BOOKSELLER )

'Paver is a master storyteller, whose clear, taut prose overlies complex research. There is magic, but it is natural magic, depending on perception or superstition... The thrill of this remarkable series is that it makes readers percieve the world differently.' (Amanda Craig THE TIMES )

'Paver has a flair and a directness that really packs a punch... readers get a real sense of what it would be like to be in Torak's shoes.' (LIVERPOOL ECHO )

'exhilarating... Torak's trusty companion, Wolf, is captured by the Soul Eaters. The brilliance of Paver's earlier books lay in her descriptions of life as a wolf, and in the tender relationship between boy and lupine. But if this is pushed off centre, it is almost made up for by Torak's nuanced friendship with the girl, Renn... Readers of eight and above will find the story gripping.' (Lorna Bradbury DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'This is a marvellous book. It really, really is. It's a living, breathing, world of a story, perfectly realised and never missing a beat.' (Jill Murphy THEBOOKBAG.CO.UK )

'This was a very gripping book and had me on tenterhooks 'til the end! It was so well written that you could really believe these were the thoughts and feelings of a wolf.' (Lucy Howlett, age 12 FIRST NEWS )

'Much anticipated third novel in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness sries. Both feral and otherworldly... strange and thrilling with a huge following.' (THE BOOK MAGAZINE )

'A wonderfully imagined adventure... left me enlightened, moved and optimistic. (Gaye Hicyilmaz TES )

'a story with a relatively small cast of characters and a single narrative trajectory, yet Paver find interest and excitement everywhere. The excitement of the surface adventure draws extra power from Paver's creation of a way of life, myth and magic that is rooted in people's relationship with an unyielding environment... a triumph of the imagination.' (Clive Barnes BOOKS FOR KEEPS )

'Once I had picked up the book I could not put it down and I read till long past my bedtime and every morning. I was in Torak's world all day and in my bed I go over what I have read and guess what will happen next. It is so unpredicatable that I was almost always wrong! It was a thrilling read!' (Hugh (age 11) FAMILIES SOUTH WEST )

'consistently superb... meticulously realised...' (Amanda Craig THE TIMES )

'Soul Eater crackles with atmosphere.' (Julia Eccleshare THE GUARDIAN )

'The third book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series and it is one of the best... Soul Eater is an amazing book.' (Benjy Taylor (age 10) INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

Rogue's Home

Summary: The Boys Are Back!

Sir Michael Sevenson and his squire, Fisk, can't seem to keep out of hot water. After five long years, Fisk has been called home to Ruesport to investigate who framed his sister Anna's husband, Max, as a blackmailer. Anna figures that Fisk, with his criminal past, is uniquely qualified to find out who set Max up. Of course Michael feels he has to come along to help his friend; but now he wears the tattoos of the unredeemed and fears he might be more hindrance than help.

Review: As many of you probably know at this point Hilari Bell is one of my favorite authors. Once again she proves worthy of all the obsessing I do over her books! I had enjoyed Last Knight, it was fun and the characters were well-written and hilarious. I loved Rogue’s Home. It was just the book I needed in the beginning of my senior year! I was stressing so much over college Applications and senior project; it was beyond relief to emerge myself in Rogue's Home every night.

The characters are as lovable as ever. Fisk's character is much more fleshed out as we are given more information about his past and his quirky, intelligent, and somewhat cynical personality. Michael is as sweet as ever, but perhaps not as naïve as he was in the first book. The growth he has made as a character and as a young man has been believable and somewhat endearing to witness. Being unredeemed taught him a lesson about first impression and how sometimes appearances really do matter. It is hard to dismiss the growth in Fisk's character as well, all ready so clever and cynical he learns to soften and care for others, Michael primarily. The bond between the two is like true brotherhood (some may choose to see it in a bromance kind of way). [P.S. If anyone out there is a Merlin fan {The most amazing British TV Show to ever air!} Michael and Fisk remind me so much of Merlin and Arthur that all I could picture through the entire book was the two of them.]

The dialogue flows easy and the old-speak English doesn't seem odd or out of place at all. As with the first book, there are parts in the book that are laugh-out-loud funny. There were times when I was literally dead tired and I would just burst out laughing at what I had read. The plot kept me questioning the entire time. I went back and forth through suspects in my mind attempting to figure it out before Fisk and Michael did. No such luck! At one point I really did think Judith did it! (read the book to get the joke!)

Basically Rogue's Home was fun, exciting, enthralling, funny, suspenseful, and just plain enjoyable. You need to go read this series.

Rating: 5/5 it was not life-changing no, but its book like these that make reading worthwhile.

Review from the Pros:

"The sequel to THE LAST KNIGHT, ROGUE'S HOME is a medieval tale of mystery and action that will captivate readers and keep them guessing until the end of the book."- From Teensreadtoo.com

"[P]art buddy comedy, part Don Quixote, and part mystery novel, Bell outdoes herself with this intrepid pair. ...Count on the book's humor, suspense, and plot twists to keep readers coming back for future installments." (School Library Journal )

"...the appeal of the series lies in the two strong protagonists, Mike and Fisk, and the fundamental tension as well as growing bond between them."-ALA Booklist

"Bell writes with a buoyant, easygoing style, creating character and setting...with economy and giving her readers a lighthearted, but also warmhearted, tale. ...Good-humored and thoughtful, this has the appeal of a dashing mystery-adventure, but the deeper elements of friendship and family loyalty give it substance." (Horn Book Magazine )

"[G]reat: lost of humor, likable people, mystery and suspense aplenty." (Kirkus Reviews )

I strongly encourage you to pick up any book by Hilari Bell. They’re supposedly for middle schoolers and early high schoolers but I am a senior in high school and still equally enjoy her books that I read in 7th grade.

Bonus! Awesome Quote:

Mrs. Trimmer turned beady eyes on me. "Humph. I've heard of you. I suppose you've gotten clever and come home to batten on the leavings. Serve you right there aren't any. I hope you're prepared to work."
If Mrs. Trimmer had been wearing an apron, I might have taken that more kindly.
"I never work." I smiled blandly. "If you're clever you don't have to. Are you a hard worker, Mrs. Trimmer?"-Fisk, Rogue’s Home

Happy Reading!

~She Who Reads A lot