I really wanted to like The Iron Trial and was really looking forward to seeing what Holly Black and Cassandra Clare would bring with their joint effort in a middle grade read. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one as much as I had hoped. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of the book.

Description: Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.  All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

Review: The Iron Trial was a difficult read not due to the authors' writing, but rather the numerous parallel connections that I was making with Harry Potter throughout the book from the set up of three main characters one of which was not suppose to be alive, a sage magician who are the children's mentor, to a magic school where the students are sorted into groups. I know that there are books written about magicians and boarding magic schools written before Harry Potter, but there were so many connections that it was difficult to look beyond the similarities. In fact I ended up skimming a lot of the book because the similarities were so distracting.
  Once you get past the similarities, you can start to appreciate the positive aspects about the book. It was nice to see a diverse cast of characters in the book where each character had depth and avoided one dimensional characterizations. Callum is nothing like Harry Potter though you do feel kinship towards him as he struggles to fit in with his peers at the Magisterium. Similarly, the Magisterium is much darker and sinister than the homely Hogwarts. I also enjoyed the new take on the good versus evil in the book where people struggled with their addiction to power. There is also a nice twist albeit a bit predictable one in the story that would keep readers' attention in this series, but I sadly I don't think this series is for me. I will, however, look forward to other titles released by Black and Clare. 

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: Most of the violence takes place off page, but there might be disturbing images for some readers. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium #2) expected to be released in 2015,

After a doppelganger filled fifth season of Vampire Diaries last year I was really hoping I wouldn't see or hear the word for a very long time. Once the word popped up in descriptions and reviews of Josephine Angelini's latest book Trial by Fire, I was equally worried and intrigued. I hoped for the best and by lowering my expectations of this book I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it.

Description: This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.
  Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.
  What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Review: Trial by Fire has a unique premise that mixes magic, parallel universe with some really cool elements of science fiction and romance. Lily Proctor is virtually allergic to everything. Her very existence on Earth seems to be killing her. She always seems to be running on a very high fever, sometimes severe fever-induced seizures, and breaks out into hives very easily. Lily's hope of being a normal teen is dashed when not only does she catch her best friend turned boyfriend cheating on her, but also has a fever-induced coma when vodka is slipped into her soda. Soon Lily is transported into an alternative Salem that is ruled with an iron fist by an evil version of herself. 
   Lily is a likable character. She is kind, caring, and smart but not always wise when it comes to relationships. I never understood what she saw in Tristan, her philandering jerk of a boyfriend and thankfully she didn't take long to decide that relationship was not worth the heartache nor drama. What I found really interesting in this book is Lily's transformation throughout the book. When we first met her, we are immediately struck by how physically fragile she is but also meek and self conscious. As she journeys through alternative Salem, Lily becomes a more solid character, one who isn't afraid to take risks, know when to stand down, voice her own opinion, and adapt to her surroudings. I loved how Lily's weaknesses in one world became her biggest strength in the other world. 
  The world building in Trial by Fire was also done really well. The alternative Salem features Crucibles, witches who control technology, and monsters that haunt the shadows. I was intrigued by the constant push and pull of science versus magic. For instance the cruel Lillian is doing everything she possibly can to stop any scientific advantages even if that means killing innocent people. 
  In addition to the world building, I also loved the secondary characters that we meet in alternative Salem, particularly Rowan Fall. Rowan is the complete opposite of Earth Tristan. Like Lily, he too was once seen as weak and seemed to be preyed upon Lillian at one point.  I loved the slow burn romance between Rowan and Lily which unfolded at the perfect pace as both try to win each others trust and respect.
  There is plenty of action in Trial by Fire that kept the pages moving. I wanted to know more of Lillian's plan and why was Lily in particularly picked to travel to alternative Salem. I also want to know more about the downcast Outlanders that pose a threat to Lillian. There is plenty to enjoy in Trial by Fire and I am really looking forward to seeing what will happen next to Lily and Rowan.  

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is underage drinking at a party, allusion to sex, and some language. Recommended for Grade 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi, Weather Witch by Shannon Delaney, Tandem by Anna Jarzab

 While I struck out with my last read, I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place a tongue in cheek Victorian boarding school mystery. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of the book.


Description: The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong. 

Review: An immensely entertaining, smart, and frothy in the best possible way, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a lot like Clue only it's set in a Victorian boarding school where seven young women find themselves free from adult supervision when their judgmental, penny-pinching headmistress and her odious brother die suddenly during dinner. Rather than alert the authorities and risk having the school shut down and all the students sent to unwelcoming home, the girls decide to keep things under wraps and proceed as if the late headmistress and her brother were still alive. The girls bond together to bury the bodies in the garden while dodging questions from their noisy neighbors, potential suitors, a suspicious housekeeper, and a host of charmingly annoying villagers with a penchant for showing up at the worst possible moment. While juggling mounting debts and increasingly precarious fabrications in order to keep up their charade, the students also try to discover who poisoned the deceased and what was the murderer's motive.
 Berry's prose is very much like the classic Victorian detective novels. Though there are a lot of girls to keep track of in this story, all of them are identified largely by an adjective that precede their name such as Disgraceful Mary Jane or Dour Elinor. I liked how these names are used ironically, rather than highlighting a weakness it it often comes across as a girl's strength. The girls avoid the stereotypical cliques or cat fight and work together as a team. The pacing slows a bit in the middle of the book, but I continued reading because I wanted to see how the girls solved the mystery and avoid obstacles thrown in their way.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for strong Grade 5 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Murder Most Unlady Like by Robin Stevens, Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

 After reading the description of Evidence of Things Not Seen, I was really looking forward to reading this mystery with a touch of science fiction. As I opened the book, I quickly discovered that the book blurb describing a coming different book.

Description: When high school junior Tommy Smythe goes missing, everyone has a theory about what happened to him. Tommy was adopted, so maybe he ran away to find his birth parents. He was an odd kid, often deeply involved in his own thoughts about particle physics, so maybe he just got distracted and wandered off. He was last seen at a pull-out off the highway, so maybe someone drove up and snatched him. Or maybe he slipped into a parallel universe. Tommy believes that everything is possible, and that until something can be proven false, it is possibly true. So as long as Tommy’s whereabouts are undetermined, he could literally be anywhere.

Review: Sometimes readers get duped by a great description. This is one of those times. Evidence of Things Not Seen is composed of disjointed, confusing, and rather bizarre novellas told from a different point of view that are strung together with only one connection in that at least one character knew or even heard of Tommy. You don't revisit any of these narrators again nor do you get an answer regarding to Tommy's disappearance and by the end of the book you really don't care about any of these characters. You are actually upset that you took the time to go on this weird journey and finished without any resolution. While some of the novellas were interesting and vary in topics from hard to read topics such as a mother drugging and forcing her daughter into prostitution in order to make a living at a very young age or the very odd where a girl who sees sex and losing her virginity in a completely scientific nature and practically forces herself upon her best friend in hopes of understand what the fuss is all about. 
  Though the book itself was well written and had a stream of consciousness feel to to the narrative, I had no clue how these stories and topics such as abuse and rape added to the overall plot arc. In fact there were many times where I completely forgot about Tommy at all. I was completely lost with all the quantum physics talk too, perhaps that's where the answer lay. Overall I didn't understand Evidence of Things Not Seen and I can't really recommend it anyone.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, allusions to sex, physical abuse, and rape as well as drug use and alcohol. Recommended for strong Grades 9 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

 It has been a while since I did a post for Manga Mondays. Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Instead of reviewing each volume separately, I'm going to review the entire series of Sand Chronicles since it is complete at 10 volumes. I hope you like this review format!


Description (of the first volume): After her parents get divorced, Ann Uekusa and her mother move from Tokyo to rural Shimane. Accustomed to the anonymity of city living, Ann can't get used to the almost overbearing kindness of the people in her mother's hometown. But when personal tragedy strikes, Ann discovers how much she needs that kindness.

Review: Sand Chronicles is a standout shojo (i.e. romance) manga that tackles series issues as such suicide, depression, betrayal, and infidelity although at times it tends to veer close to melodrama. In each volume there are series topics that are discussed and a nice character growth arcs for its cast of characters which gives this manga series more depth unlike the many silly, typical shojo mangas. The series is framed by the seasons and time a running theme throughout the manga. In the first volume 12 year old Ann Uekusa and her mother have been abandoned by Ann's debt-ridden father and forced to move from Tokyo to Ann's grandparents' home in Shimane. At first, Ann feels both oppressed by her mean, strict, conservative grandmother and totally out of place in a small town, but once she makes some friends she adapts quickly. When her disillusioned, depressed, and demoralized mother commits suicide, Ann leans on Daigo, the first boy her own age that she met in Shimane, and their budding romance becomes the series's focus. Ann and Daigo's romance is sweet and develops at a realistic speed. Though there is a necessary love triangle in this manga, it thankfully doesn't hold much weight. The real obstacles that Ann and Daigo's relationship faces are Ann's nightmare of becoming her mother and her failure to grieve her mother's death.
   Ann is an extremely likable character. An every girl who is forced to grow up faster and become an adult. She deals with normal every day situations from a rival girl who is scheming for Daigo's affections, stumbling through the mysteries of a relationship, both romantic and friendships. Daigo is the perfect boyfriend whose only fault is that he wears his heart on his sleeve. What impressed me with this series is that the fact that the secondary characters were also strong and dynamic pushing the plot forward and not making it stale.
 I like the artwork in this series with its delicate lines and the beautiful scenery which also becomes a landmark on these characters' rite of passage. I highly recommend reading this manga series if you prefer reading true to life scenarios with a sweet romance. A great pick for Sarah Dessen fans and a really good primer for reading Nana by Ai Yazawa (a manga series that nearly broke me).

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Due to mature themes, a few scenes of sexual situations, some nudity. I would recommend Sand Chronicles for high school readers and up.

If you like this series try: We Were There by Yuuki Obata, Nana by Ai Yazawa, Kimi Ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina