Johnny Swanson Review

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(More customer reviews)Eleanor Updale, the award-winning author of the popular Montmerancy series, takes us to England in 1929 in her newest historical mystery novel for young people. Our hero, Johnny Swanson, is an engaging young boy who finds himself mixed up in a murder mystery--and his own mother is the suspected murderer! Johnny's sure as can be that she's not guilty, but no one will believe him and the police seem to have already made up their mind. Can Johnny save her before it's too late?
There seem to be three interrelated stories going on in this novel--the above-mentioned murder mystery, the tuberculosis epidemic in England, and Johnny's many schemes to make money to help out his mother. Johnny is enticed by a newspaper advertisement promising the "secret of instant height," just what he needs to stop the bullying at school because of his small stature. When he discovers the ad is a hoax, he decides he can play that game also, and soon is concocting schemes to put advertisements in various publications and collecting small sums of money for bogus answers to problems. As you might imagine, Johnny becomes hopelessly entangled in a comical web of lies around his business, this part of the story very much reminded me of the classic Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald that I enjoyed as a child.
At the same time, a TB outbreak is plaguing England, and Johnny's neighbor, Dr. Langford, just might be working on a secret vaccine for the disease. This work turns out to be dangerous, indeed--for Dr. Langford and maybe for Johnny too, as he learns more than he should know about the undercover work.
Johnny makes an appealing boy detective--a character who's far from perfect, but whose good intentions shine through as he works to help his mother, first through his financial schemes, and then to save her from the hangman's noose. The author combines humor and suspense--a winning combination for young mystery fans. Perhaps we will see more adventures of Johnny Swanson in the future!

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Wolverine's Daughter Review

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(More customer reviews)Wolverine was a legendary warrior. He was also Kelyn of Ketura's father. He had left her mother before she was born. Kelyn cared nothing for the Wolverine or his legends. She wanted nothing to do with him. She grew up in the mountains of Ketura learning to survive, like her father before her as her mother wished. She had to practice much harder than the others of the village due to her occasional bouts of clumsiness. Where others did things gracefully, she was awkward. Where others learned quickly, she had to practice often and thoroughly.
When her mother died, the village witch told her that she must find her father if she wanted to find herself. So she began her journey. Kelyn did not wait for trouble to find her. She followed trouble to find the Wolverine. Once found, a battle of witches, barbarians, and sorcery began! Kelyn also found out WHY she was often clumsy. However, she could not understand why that clumsiness vanished at times of danger and battle. One thing was for certain, the Wolverine could not deny she was his daughter and he had definitely met his match!
**** Excellent! Like watching Xena and Hercules side-by-side! I plan to look up other books by this amazing author! Highly recommended reading here! ****

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Ship of Destiny (The Liveship Traders, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been somewhat depressed since finishing this last book in the Liveship series. It was a wonderful story and even though the author will return with more on Fitzchivalry, it's very hard for me to say good-bye to the characters in this novel! I've often thought that a third trilogy in this world that finally takes us into the Chalced States could fully explain it's evil history and bring about some force for revolution. Let's hope that Fitz will be joined there with Amber, Althea, Brashen, Clef, Ronica, Reyn and the ships!!
I'm also dissatisfied with the ending. Many details seem to have been rushed by in an effort to tie things up quickly. I can't believe that the reunion in Bingtown was not described. Neither was the reaction of the Bingtown folks to the news from Jamailla. Huge construction projects were undertaken in the Rain Wilds and only hinted at. A final conversation between Althea and Wintrow must have happened off the page and we can only guess at its contents. In fact, we don't hear Althea's voice much at all in the second half of the book. What happened to her passion? It would be different if she had had an opportunity for vengeance and chose forgiveness instead. I feel that she was robbed. Especially Kennit's lies wounded her and there is no final accounting or reparations. Why didn't she stand up and denounce him? Why didn't Brashen tell everyone what happened during the "truce". Why was Wintrow and everyone except the wizardwood charm/conscience taken in by Kennit's manipulations? Kennit may have begun to face the pain of his past, but he never acknowledges his current misdeeds and especially his lies. And it is just painful to read as one person after the next falls for his machinations. He never truly becomes whole without facing himself.
Still, this is one of the best trilogies I have read and my main complaint is that it's over! Please have some of these characters sail on!

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Mad Ship (The Liveship Traders, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)WOW... i enjoyed Ship of Magic so much that i didnt think it could possibly be surpassed by book two of the series, but i was wrong. In retrospect, book 1 was merely an introduction/set-up book. This book took the plot threads that were introduced in the first book, and completely twisted them in directions you wouldnt have guessed. In addition, it introduced a LOT (and i'm not kidding here) of new plot threads. Just when you finished reading a chapter and said to yourself "that must have been the major event of the book", you read the next chapter only to encounter an even BIGGER event! The whole last half of the book was like this.
Like the first book, the characterizations are superb. These characters really change with the ebb and flow of the story. The focus on main characters has shifted a little as well: Malta plays a much bigger role (i was put off by this at first), as well as Amber and Paragon. Kyle is nearly insignificant. Even Althea and Kennit have slightly different focus. Nevertheless, Hobb writes so well that you feel connected to each of the characters, even the so-called "bad" ones.
Before i picked this book up, i just assumed it would follow the logical path of the first book. Not so! By the time i finished this book, i was so blown away that the first book seemed insignificant (not in a sense that i enjoyed book 1 less however). A few things are resolved, but so many are left hanging that reading the conclusion is a must. Who knows where that book will take you (i'm not going to try and guess this time). I highly recommend that if you read the first book and enjoyed it, you immediately read this book.

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Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never read a Robin Hobb book before but I liked the cover art on this one and decided to pick it up and see what it was about. The book jacket made it sound like it would be an adventurous read and it really was.
There are several stories going on in this book: Althea's quest to regain her ship, Kennit's quest to become a king of pirates, Ronica's quest to keep her family together, the serpents' quest for who-knows-what, the mystery of Paragon, the political intrigue surrounding Bingtown and, most compelling of all, Wintrow's story. All of these narratives are interwoven into one big,compelling, un-put-downable, can't-wait-for-the-next-volume, story.
Although it would appear that Althea's is the main story, I found the saga of Wintrow and Wintrow himself the most involving aspect of this book. Ms. Hobb has created in Wintrow a likeable, tortured young man who undergoes a tempering that is wonderful and sometimes painful to watch.
I enjoyed how such unsypat! hetic characters as Kyle and Kennit were not created as simple cardboard villains, instead one is a man who truly thinks he is trying to do right for his family (no matter how obnoxious or wrongheaded he really is) and the other a man who is consumed by ambition and not a little bit of self hate.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to the rest of the series with great anticipation. I also plan to seek out Ms. Hobb's other series of books.

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