Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 2

Welcome to my first middle-grade compilation of 2019! All three stories belong to ongoing series. I do my best to avoid spoilers, but I cannot guarantee that they are 100% spoiler-free. You have been forewarned!

The Golden Tower (Sept. 11, 2018) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

*This is the final book in a series.*

What is it like to be both a hero and an outcast, a mage for good and a vessel of evil? Callum Hunt will know. He is beginning his final year at the Magisterium, a magical school where mages are taught, but this year he is shunned by some who called him friend in the past, and one of his best friends is not present like he’d like to be. The villain, the real “Evil Overlord,” is not shy about making himself known and visible, yet there are many who still do not trust Call, even though the Evil Overlord is unlike anything the mage world has ever seen. And in a world in which Devoureds and elementals exist, that is saying something. The Evil Overlord, stuffed full of malevolence and power-hungry greed, has demands, one of which is Call and his friends. They all expect to be killed, but it is possible to defeat this villain, though it will involve some travel and an assist from Call’s dad, Alastair. Support from the Assembly wouldn’t hurt, either. Now, about that voice inside his head …

            Brilliant. Magical. This fifth and concluding novel in the Magisterium series has been brimful of action, adventure, magic, fantasy and humor. However, the authors do not shy away from the darker, tough stuff, making obstacles a different sort of difficult than ours would be since they involve magic. It stuns with a plot complex enough to keep the interest of advanced readers, but is still easygoing enough for fans to read for the pure enjoyment of reading. For me, this series ranks right up there with Harry Potter or any of the mythology-based books by Rick Riordan. And I do not give that praise lightly!

The Legend of Shadow High (Oct. 17, 2017) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale.

*This is a book within a series, but I don’t know if more will follow.*

Ever After High and Wonderland aren’t the only fantastical places that exist in the World of Stories. Monster High exists, too, with founders Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein, obviously) and Draculaura (clearly the daughter of Dracula) going on an adventure they never dreamed of. They have heard whispers of a place called Shadow High. Unfortunately, the Evil Queen gets wind of this as well. Frankie and Draculaura are accidentally transported to Ever After High around the same time that the Evil Queen is missing from her mirror prison and then Madeline Hatter winds up kidnapped. Overseeing the narration of the tale is a Narrator by the name of Brooke Page. She is young and very new in the role of Narrator. Frankie and Draculaura team up with Raven Queen and Apple White and once they get over the fact that the others actually exist – for real – they work to rescue Madeline and save the World of Stories. Because if they don’t, and those margins crash together, their world will be destroyed. Their stories will no longer be. They’ll be a jumble of words, an effect of the Unmaking.

            As one who has enjoyed the Ever After High series of books, those written by Shannon Hale and Suzanne Selfors, I was happy to come across this one last year while perusing books. Like the others, this story is light-hearted and cute. It’s a bit of mystery within a safety net. In other words, mystery is present, but what leads up to solving it or getting through it isn’t nightmare-inducing. With the addition of Brooke Page and Madeline Hatter’s ability to hear the Narrator, there’s an added element of communicative ability involved in the story process. Brooke isn’t immune to fangirl-ing, adding to her youthful vibe. Puns, figurative sayings and trademark exclamations (like “fangtastic” and “spelltacular”) are always near at hand. If you’re a fan of the Ever After High series, and you haven’t read this already, this volume should meet your approval. It’s also a bit more interactive for you, the Reader, which can be a help or a hindrance if you like that sort of interaction in reading. Or don’t. (I don’t prefer choosing paths and jumping pages.)

Rise of the Isle of the Lost (May 23, 2017) by Melissa de la Cruz.

*This is the third book in a series.*

Are they rotten to the core no more? That might be pushing it, but the quartet from the Isle of the Lost, consisting of Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Evie (daughter of Evil Queen), Jay (son of Jafar) and Carlos (son of Cruella de Vil), have certainly come a long way from where they started. They’re each both in their elements and still finding their ways. Mal works to balance Auradon’s agreement to not use magic (except under highly regulated, exceptional circumstances) while being the girlfriend of the young king. Evie loves being in Auradon and shines as a fashionista and unofficial seamstress at Auradon Prep. Jay continues to understand teamwork instead of looking out only for himself and is accepting help to prepare for R.O.A.R. (Royal Order of Auradon Regiment) tryouts. R.O.A.R. is a combination of parkour and fencing (“It’s not linear. … Think of it as 3-D fencing.” – Li’l Shang, son of Li Shang and Mulan). Carlos also enjoys life in Auradon, especially now that he likes dogs, and he is excelling in school with technology his specialty. King Ben gets called away to moderate a dispute between Northern Wei and Agrabah at the same time that the Isle group decides to help Evie’s friend Arabella, niece to Ariel and granddaughter of King Triton. They need to find something before someone notices it’s lost and before Uma (daughter of Ursula), Harry (son of Hook) and other hooligans find it first.

            This middle-grade novel packs a rollicking adventure on land and at sea into a relatively slim volume. “Rise of the Isle of the Lost” features a perilous race that remains G-rated. I enjoyed the storyline, which included Uma and getting a backstory of her character and also the story behind the tension between her and Mal. As those two have mothers who are epic villains, it doesn’t take much for an ocean-size wedge to come between these past friends. King Ben gets to travel to two different areas of the kingdom, and I enjoyed the glimpse into different places outside of Auradon Prep and the Isle of the Lost. Although not wrought with intense complexity, this story is fun-filled and humorous with cleverness and heart.

Rutabaga's Reads 2018: Part 3

For this compilation post, I am happy to present a compilation featuring a few middle-grade books from authors I enjoy. If you have read any of these stories, please add your opinions in the comments below. And, if you have any to recommend – or avoid! – please let me know that in the comments as well!

            Please also beware of spoilers if you haven’t read the previous stories in each of these series. I do avoid spoilers as best I can, so know there aren’t major spoilers. I don’t, say, give away the endings of the stories.

The Empty Grave (Sept. 12, 2017) by Jonathan Stroud.

There is nothing quite like a nighttime masquerade into a heavily guarded mausoleum. Those at Lockwood & Co. are adept and therefore manage to get into the mausoleum undetected. They are looking for the body of a certain someone, and they find a body, but it’s not the one that should be there. And so begins their secretive research (they are being sporadically watched and followed) – “their” being Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle, George Cubbins, Holly Munro and Quill Kipps. This is on top of their usual jobs from a Lurker in an apartment above a Chinese restaurant to La Belle Dame Sans Merci and jobs in-between. But it’s what they’re researching that may pose the biggest threat to them all. These young operatives will have to survive attacks from foes of both the spectral and human varieties to overcome the real cause of the Problem.

            This group headquartered at 35 Portland Row, London, are an eclectic and crafty bunch. The author has created distinctly different characters with their own strengths and weaknesses. My one bother of the entire series is the lack of diversity. Holly’s character is the only notable one that lends a speck of diversity to a landscape that is both realistic and otherworldly. Having now read all five stories in the Lockwood & Co. series (this being the ultimate story), this is disappointing, as Stroud is so otherwise masterful with this series. It is clever and clandestine, haunted (literally, in locations), humorous and delightfully creepy. Stroud’s writing sucks you into a believable world and spits you back out, though hopefully without being ghost-touched and with all of your appendages intact.

The Ship of the Dead (Oct. 3, 2017) by Rick Riordan.

Thor. Odin. Loki. Valkyrie. Valhalla. Before Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, that’s about all I could tell you about Norse mythology. But now, the things I know! (Okay, that was an exaggeration, though I definitely know more about Norse mythology than I did.)

            “The Ship of the Dead” is the final book in the trilogy. Do I wish this series were continuing? Naturally. In the first book, Magnus turned 16. While he should have been awaiting his driver’s license, he’d already been homeless for two years, as his only living parent (mom) had been killed two years before. But he had his best homeless buddies, Blitz and Hearth, to look out for him. And at his ripe old age, his life turned into, “Now that you’re 16, there’s a good chance you’ll die soon. Surprise! Have a happy birthday!”

            So Magnus dies and winds up in Valhalla, thanks to a Valkyrie named Samirah al-Abbas. He learns that he’s the demigod son of Frey, the god of spring and summer. In truth, Magnus is a Vanir (gods of nature) demigod, and their afterlife is overseen by Magnus’ aunt Freya (goddess of love and twin of Frey) in Folkvanger. Yet he is in Valhalla, which is the army that serves Odin. He also learns that Blitzen is actually a svartalf (a.k.a. dark elf, but still actually a dwarf) and Hearthstone is an elf. Hearth is deaf, which his father found embarrassing and appalling, and Blitz has an amazing sense of style. Magnus is also armed with Jack (a.k.a. Sumarbrander, the Sword of Summer).

            By the third book, Magnus has his best floormates: TJ (Thomas Jefferson, Jr., a dead Civil War soldier), Mallory Keen (of Irish descent who wields knives very well), Halfborn Gunderson (a berserker) and Alex Fierro (he/she is gender fluid). Much of the time, they spend their days in Valhalla doing battle to the death (whether actual battle, yoga, pottery, etc. – it sounds quite intense) and getting reincarnated. But they also go on quests. In this book, on “The good ship Mikillgulr!” which, as a nickname, is the “Big Banana,” but the better translation means “big yellow.” Magnus dreams of Loki and his nasty ship of the clipped toenails and fingernails of the dishonorable dead, Naglfar, which means, naturally, the Ship of Nails. Yuck.

            Loki, being free, is trying to start Ragnarok. But before they can attempt a flyting with him, they’ve gotta survive Aegir’s vengeful giant daughters, a tveirvigi with another giant, vatnavaettir (water horses), Hearth’s dragon-dad, thrall giants (i.e. giants that are slaves), more giants in general that mean them harm and a meeting with Njord (Vanir god of the sea) and his beautiful feet who also happens to be Magnus’ grandfather.

            Like in Riordan’s other books, “The Ship of the Dead” is full of action and adventure right from the first chapter. I am always impressed by the diversity of characters he creates and appreciate him more for it. Because not only are his characters diverse, they are complex, each with distinct personalities and backgrounds. You never think, “Wow. Halfborn is pretty much the same as Alex.” Nope. Never. And while many of the problems are on a fictionally gigantic scale centering on the end of the world as everyone, including us non-magic mortals, knows it, there are also things that people may relate to. For instance, Hearth and his maltreatment by his father. So what if he’s an elf? Bullying is no small thing, and in Riordan’s world, it extends past the world of humans. This novel is resplendent in its wit and prose, and it never ceased entertaining me.

The Silver Mask (Oct. 10, 2017) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

Magical prison is not like television prison at all. Well, except for the main character being framed and all that. But Callum “Call” Hunt finds himself in the Panopticon until he isn’t. (Thank goodness for a Devoured of fire!) Call has been blamed for a devastating death, and he’s also feared for the soul they think he houses. But Call is just Call. He leaves one prison for another, and he’s tasked to do the unthinkable; it is something that not even Constantine Madden achieved. The power of chaos can work for good, but is so often thought of as wicked, because even in the best of times, chaos magic is destructive. And Call isn’t the only one wielding chaos magic, only the other person wasn’t imbued with it from birth, nor was it willingly granted to him with, say, a chaos mage’s soul. No. It was stolen, and that mage died.

            Just like I would’ve loved an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, so, too, would I have gladly been an aspirant hoping to be selected by a senior mage as an apprentice and to learn at the Magisterium for five years. The fourth story in the Magisterium series, I read through it almost as swiftly as a Devoured of fire can destroy a magical prison. While middle-grade, this series ramped up its intensity.  It’s not about learning how to control and use magic in the Magisterium anymore; in fact, Call’s never there in this story. Life has reached critical mass when it comes to the nature of a soul, the dignity of life and death and what it is to secure true friendship, especially when that friendship is severely tested. Like the others, this story is filled with magic and wonder, and I can’t wait to read what happens next!