Ok! I think it is pretty obvious that I started this post before Christmas and didn’t get around to finishing until now. But I wrote so much I figured I would post anyway. Hope you *had* a Merry Christmas!
AGH! Christmas is almost here! One minute it’s a date far off in the distance – small and insignificant - and the next it’s a huge, scary event looming over my shoulder growling “Are you ready, Punk?!” I may have been rushed but I think I have all the recipients on the gift list checked off now (hail be to online shopping). Now I leave everything in very capable hands of the postal service to arrive before the big day -hopefully intact.
As it happens, like every other year, I have a wish list a mile long and a disgustingly bad habit of buying myself gifts while shopping for others. This year’s list seems to contain quite a few book requests and along with the few additions I purchased myself while pretending to seek a gift for my brother, it seems I may very soon have several tomes heading my way. Thus, to prepare myself for the onslaught of reading material and to fend off the horrendous indecision revolving around the age old question “what should I read next?,” I have made an effort to make some progress through my existing stack of books in the ‘to be read’ pile.
So, here we go again with another one of Chrnocat’s book reviews… *cue fanfare*
The Wizard of Rondo
After reading The Key to Rondo, I was quite anxious to read book two in the new fantasy/adventure series by Emily Rodda. I quickly snapped up the hard cover version of The Wizard of Rondo shortly after it’s release – I only wish I could say the novel was every bit as exciting as I had expected. The Wizard of Rondo is not so much an adventure story, but an investigation novel. Leo and Mimi return to Rondo for what they hope is an uneventful visit, merely hoping to catch up with their friends and lead the Blue Queen to believe they are still trapped in Rondo after the supposed destruction of the key to Rondo. Upon arrival they discover a lot has changed since their last visit – Bertha is now a famous Quest Pig for one. Since news of her heroics during the battle with the Blue Queen got out, Bertha has become official spokes-pig for the quest team, being hounded by paparazzi to the point that Farmer McDonald decides he no longer wants her on the farm. Conker and Breda are back to dot catching, and Tye has returned to the forest hut with Hal to keep tabs on the Blue Queen.
As the friends are reunited, an urgent message from a woman in Hobnob requests their assistance in regards to her nephew, apprentice to the Wizard Bing, who has been transformed into a mushroom and taken into custody for the supposed murder of the now missing wizard. The troupe heads off to Hobnob to question suspects and uncover clues, only to find a dark and terrifying ancient cloud castle known as The Strix hovering omniously in the sky nearby. The rest of the story is heavily dialogue driven, and it’s through these exchanges the reader is set to find the connections between the missing wizard, the mushroom boy and the Strix, in order to piece together the mystery.
Overall, I found the Wizard of Rondo to be a slow paced book which didn’t really hold my attention until the end. I found the dialogue to be tedious and prone to going in circles probably due to the sheer number of characters taking part in conversations. A lot of elements were re-used from the last book such as the hidey-holes and the magic carpet, but a few new elements such as the Snugs and the bath-house were good. It’s not until the last few chapters that the story really picks up, and the way the story pieces together at the end is nothing short of brilliant. If only the whole book was like the last few chapters! The ongoing personality clash between Leo and Mimi touch on themes of jealousy and belonging, and Tye is used to prove rumours can be deceiving.
In the end the Wizard of Rondo was not a bad read, it just didn’t seem to have the same feeling of adventure found in the first book, which left me a bit disappointed.
Rangers Apprentice Book 1: The Ruins of Cathak
Thanks must go to my friend Sarah for introducing me to the Rangers Apprentice series! I adored this book from start to finish and can’t wait to read more.
Will, an orphan raised as a ward of a Baron’s castle, has no memory of his heritage. He is told only that his mother died during childbirth and his father died a hero. Taking this wee bit of knowledge, Will weaves it into a tale believing his father was an important knight who died in battle defending the castle. The story becomes so real that he is determined to follow in his fathers footsteps. But when the time of choosing comes around, Will is devestated when he is refused apprenticeship into knight school due to his small stature. When his alternative choices are also refused, Will fears his destiny will lie in farming. However, when a challenge is placed before Will and he displays great skill in stealth, agility and concealment, Will learns he may have the abilities to be trained as an elusive ’Ranger,’ and is apprenticed to the mysterious ranger known as Halt.
Under Halt’s watchful care, Will is taught the skills of the Rangers, including archery, knife throwing, camoflage and riding, and is delighted when Halt presents him with his very own ranger pony called Tug. As Will is training hard, news of important leaders, army Generals and tacticians dying from unfortunate accidents start coming in. It’s not until the annual Ranger Gathering that suspicions are backed by evidence, and it seems that the evil warlord Morgorath, whose army was defeated only after information provided by a ranger helped turn the tides of war, has re-emerged from his banishment with a new army. But first he wants revenge on all those who stopped his first attempt at the throne, one being the Ranger who stopped him all those years ago, who may turn out to be Will’s new Master.
I loved absolutely everything about this book. Fast-paced, detailed and well written. Will is a very likeable character who is honest, smart and an eager learner. He holds fast to his friendships with Sarah, Alysse and Horace who are also wards from the castle, and will help anyone in need without hesistation. Halt, although seemingly gruff, actually has a soft spot for his apprentices both old and new, and is a caring father figure who not only trains Will in weapons and riding, but also philosphy and tactfulness. He places a lot of importance on honesty.
Overall Rangers Apprentice: The Ruins of Carthak is a fantastic read, as it is fun, compassionate and very easy to read. I absolutely love it!
New Moon
I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly decided to finish reading New Moon after declaring to never pick it up again. I guess I felt I had unfinished business. Good grief that was a bad book. Here’s the basic story.
Following the events of Twilight, Bella and Edward have become an inseparable pair. Despite Bella’s constant mantra of “Make me a Vampire, Make me a Vampire,” Edward refuses to relent and make her one. Edward and Bella watch Romeo and Juliet and Edward reveals he has no intention of out-living Bella for long. The Cullens organise a georgous birthday party for Bella, who moodily comes along only because Edward makes her. Things take a turn for the worse when Bella gets a paper-cut sending Jasper into a blood frenzy, resulting in a vicious battle between the vampires. Realising his existance is a constant danger to Bella, Edward and the Cullens leave Forks, determined to erase their existence from Bella’s life. Enter depression. Enter delusions of Edward’s voice while attempting Daredevil feats.
Jacob Black appears to fill in the hole left by Edward, revealing the long kept secret by his people – their ability to transform into Werewolves – the only real threat to Vampires. More and more of Jacob’s people have been changing into werewolves to counter the Vampire threat. Their current target is Victoria, who is hell bent on getting revenge on Edward for killing her partner James, by killing Bella. Add some Bella stupidity (jumping off a cliff in the middle of a storm) and some misguided premonitions by Alice, a bit of misinformation to Edward and you have a distraught Edward believing Bella is dead, heading to Rome to upset the Vampire Mafia to get himself killed.
End with a rescue mission, apologies and promises to never leave again and we are back to square one. Oh, plus a promise from Edward to change Bella into a Vampire if she will marry him first. Strange though – Bella wants to spend the rest of her existance with Edward, but refuses to marry him. Go figure.
The whole story pretty much mirrors the Romeo and Juliet theme (intentionally) of forbidden love and unfortunate misunderstandings. Nothing new there. Add a few morally unethical practices – apparantly it’s ok to steal cars, speed, lie, use people for your own gains etc. - and you have New Moon. A dark, depressing, and ultimately pointless book. If you want the story without all the moping Bella crap, I suggest waiting for the movie.
