Tag: adventure

Renegades

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Renegades is one of those books that has been on my TBR list for approximately forever. It got so much hype when it came out, and I’ve heard so much positivity around the book… but I just never seemed to get around to reading it. Then a few months ago, two of my dear friends told me they had read it and loved it (shoutout to Natalie and Adah!), and it seemed like time to pull the trigger. And I’m so glad I finally did!

Renegades takes place in a world of people who have superhuman abilities (prodigies), superheroes (the Renegades), and villains (the Anarchists). That seems like it should be cut and dry – but one of the protagonists, Nova, is an Anarchist bent on destroying the Renegades. And the other is Adrian, whose parents are currently on the ruling Renegade council. Honestly, I don’t want to say much more about the plot than that, because there are so many delicious twists and turns in this book that I don’t want to spoil anything. Just trust me, and trust the seeminly-millions of other people who have read and loved this book, and read it. Renegades didn’t hook me right away… but I finished reading it this morning, and am definitely heading to the library to pick up the second book right after I finish writing this review because UGH SO GOOD.

Favorite Passage:

“Nova shut her eyes and thought, if she were a villain worthy of the name, she would be with them right now. Celebrating, or mourning.
And if she were a hero, she would be hurting to help any Renegades who might be trapped and hurt beneath the rubble.
Instead, she listened to the sounds of a city in distress, and did nothing.”
— Chapter Twenty-Eight

What I Loved Most:

Adrian never knew his father, and when he was a child, his birth mother (one of the original Renegades) was pushed off of a building – presumably by a villain. Adrian was adopted by Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden (two more of the original renegades). And his adoption is treated matter-of-factly… and isn’t the focus of the story. So much of the fiction about adopted kids focuses on the actual adoption – we see them getting placed with their adoptive family, hear about the struggles of adjusting, and then end the story with the adoption ceremony and assume everything is wrapped up with a big, shiny, red bow. Renegades features a main character who low-key was adopted… and it doesn’t define every aspect of this story or of his life. I am HERE for stories about adopted kids just living their lives.

Read this book if you like:

Superheroes, redemption arcs, seeing the good in all people, plot twists, a slow release of information that leaves you craving more

Book Details:

  • Author: Marissa Meyer
  • Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
  • Date of Publication: November 7, 2017
  • Series: Renegades #1
  • Age Recommendation: 7th – 12th grade
  • Check out Renegades on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

Twinchantment

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

In the Kingdom of Kalloon, magic has been outlawed for decades. After a magical attack on the royal family, it was decided that the only way to keep everyone safe was to get rid of all magic and potentially magic beings. Black cats, twins, and other potentially magic beings obviously also had to go. Any magic-weilders were banished from the land to the Twists. And this sounds great in theory… until the twin princesses Sara and Flissa are born, and their parents decide to conceal their twin-ness and introduce them to the world as Princess Flissara. The girls have lived as one for twelve years, and their Ascension Day (when they will officially be in line for the throne) is drawing near. However, when the Queen is attacked with magic, Sara and Flissa must go on a journey to the Twists in hopes of saving her and the Kingdom of Kalloon.

Favorite Passage:

“It was like Sara had reached inside Flissa and twisted her stomach.
“I like sharing a life with you,” she said. “I thought you did too.”
Sara sighed. She looked tired. She squeezed Flissa’s hands. “I like you. I love you. But I don’t want to be you, and I don’t want you to have to be me. It’s not fair. To either of us.””
– Chapter 16, Flissa

What I Loved Most:

Flissa and Sara are extremely different girls. Flissa is athletic and adventurous, ready to race horses or compete in swordsmanship tournaments. Sara loves people – making connections with both nobility and servants, speaking publicly to the kingdom, etc. Their strengths complement each other, and they can fill in for one another’s weaknesses. I loved that one personality type isn’t prized over the other. It doesn’t matter if you’re outgoing or shy, if you’re athletic or charismatic… what matters is learning how to embrace who you naturally are.

Read this book if you like:

Magic, people of color, adventures, siblings, things that aren’t always as they appear

Book Details:

The Revenge of Magic

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Fort Fitzgerald just lost his dad to an attack by a mysterious, giant monster in Washington, DC. He’s overwhelmed with grief, and doesn’t know how he’s going to go on. But after a surprise visit from a mysterious school headmaster, he is invited to a new kind of boarding school run by the government… and there, he’ll learn a new set of skills that will help him protect the world from future attacks.

Thirteen years ago, a set of books were discovered that reintroduced magic into the world. Only children born after the Discovery Day are able to read the books and learn how to use the spells contained within. However, Fort soon realizes things aren’t all as they seem at his new school. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets, and Fort is determined to figure out if they know more about the attack that killed his dad than they are letting on.

This was a fun, quick read. James Riley has taken a departure from his traditional writing style (such as in his Story Thieves series), and I enjoyed this story even more than his past works. The Revenge of Magic is a solid middle-grade work that is sure to captivate readers. I’m looking forward to reading about the future escapades of Fort and his friends.

Favorite Passage:

“Have you ever looked at the spell words?” Fort asked, turning to look at Rachel, who was staring at the ceiling.
“Maybe I could make like a shield of fire,” she said, ignoring him. “That might stop a fireball. Or would it? Maybe the ball would just plow right through.”
Fort picked up the Healing book, then dropped it, letting it hit the pedestal with a bang. Rachel immediately looked at him upside down. “What did I say about hurting the books?” 
“Have you ever thought about what the spell words mean?” Fort said again. “I’m seeing the same word pop up in the first two spells. That has to mean something.”
– Chapter Twenty-Seven

What I Loved Most:

There are several different kinds of magic discussed in The Revenge of Magic, and I thought it was fun to learn about how each kind worked. Fort goes into the school hoping to specialize in Destructive magic, which he believes will be most useful in fighting the monsters that killed his dad. However, he’s put on the Healing magic track instead. There are also characters who use Clairvoyance magic and Telepathic magic. Whenever I read a book where characters are sorted into different houses/abilities/propensities/etc., I love imagining where I would excel, as well as where my close friends would be. I feel like I’d be great at Telepathic magic… but that might also just be wishful thinking.

Bonus thing that I loved: The protagonist (Fort) is a boy, but the three strongest students in the school (Jia, Rachel, and Sierra) are girls. I feel like most books tend to either feature strong boy characters or strong girl characters, and Riley has done a great job of creating strong characters of both genders.

Read this book if you like:

The early Harry Potter books, training periods (my favorite), adventure, and obviously… magic.

Book Details: