Tag: adventure

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

~ rachelbenzine ~ 2 Comments

Review:

When she is ten years old, Bronte Mettlestone finds out that her parents were killed by pirates. This doesn’t upset her that much, as she has never met them. She was raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. However, her parents left a faery-cross-stitched will that binds her to go on a journey. She must deliver presents to each one of her father’s ten other sisters (since they left Aunt Isabelle her gift of cloudberry tea when they deposited Bronte on her doorstep as a baby). So begins her voyage, though which she will eat oranges from one aunt’s orchard, ride a dragon at another’s dragon hospital, encounter water sprites and elves, accidentally start an avalanche, and perhaps rescue a Kingdom from an evil King.

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone is eight-year-old-me’s dream book, and is one of twenty-six-year-old-me’s favorite books that I’ve read in the last year. There’s adventure and fun and friendships and magic, which creates an engrossing volume that will thrill middle-grade readers. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Go get it, right now.

Favorite Passage:

“Why did you come on the journey?” Sebastian asked suddenly. “I know the faery cross-stitch would destroy Gainsleigh if you didn’t come, so is that why? Is it because you love Gainsleigh?”
“Your question shows an extreme lack on insight,” I said. “Of course I love Gainsleigh. It’s my home! I love the harbor and the Botanical Gardens and the cobblestone streets lined with gardenia trees! Not lobelia, you see. But that is beside the point. Even if I did not know a town — even if I hated it! — I would not want to be the cause of its buildings and bridges crashing down!”
After a moment, Sebastian asked his parents what an extreme lack of insight meant.
“It means you asked a daft question,” Uncle Josh told him.
– Chapter 12

What I Loved Most:

Moriarty writes with this poetic, lovely, flowery language that is a spell in and of itself. She is truly an artist, crafting a splendid world that abounds in delight and cheer. It’s not that everything in the book is all sunshine and happiness — the very premise of the book is based on a child’s parents dying. But the way that Moriarty chooses to express herself is lavish and sumptuous while also remaining accessible to younger readers.

Read this book if you like:

Adventures, magic, feeling as if you’re close friends with book characters

Book Details:

Seafire

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Review:

In the nautical world of Seafire, Caledonia Styx has a mission to bring down the oppressive regime run by war-lord Aric Athair. A ship under the authority of Athair was responsible for the murder of her family when she was a pre-teen. Since then, she has become a captain of her own ship (Ghost), supervising a crew of fifty-two females who have also suffered at the hands of Aric’s men. Her crew aims to take down ships in Athair’s Bullet fleet.

Caledonia’s best friend, Pisces, is her second-in-command. When Pisces is captured by a Bullet crew, Caledonia fears the worst. However, Pisces escapes with the help of a rogue Bullet. Caledonia has always had a strict no-male rule on her ship, but her rules are challenged when the Bullet tells them he has important information that might help them take down Athair.

This book caught my eye when I was browsing in my library. The cover art is absolutely stunning, and the story drew me in from the first page. Parker has created a cast of characters that are complex and multidimensional. She gives them rich backstories, and I found myself wanting a book written on each one of the five women in Caledonia’s command crew. Thankfully, this is the start of a trilogy, so we’ll get to follow the story of the women of the Ghost! I highly recommend you add this to your to-read list.

Favorite Passage:

“On the back of the sea, who do we trust?” she called.
Her crew answered together, “Our sisters.”
Caledonia raised her voice a little more. “When our ship falters, who do we trust?”
“Our sisters.”
She shouted, “In a storm of Bullets, who do we trust?”
Their voices spiraled together, rising up like the early morning sun. “Our sisters!”
With a grin, she finished the call. “We fight together.”
And they responded, “Or not at all!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven

What I Loved Most:

The crew on the Ghost are a diverse crew, including a character (Hime) who uses sign language to communicate. Her signing is normalized in the book; the other members of the crew also sign when they talk with her. Hime is a complex character – we get to hear about her backstory, which includes trauma and addiction, in addition to her romantic relationship with another crew member being a low-key side story. I loved how Parker didn’t make it a big deal that Hime doesn’t speak verbally – it was a part of who she was, but not her whole identity.

Read this book if you like:

Strong female protagonists, diverse characters, adventure

Book Details:

  • Author: Natalie C. Parker
  • Publisher: Razorbill
  • Date of Publication: August 28, 2018
  • Age Recommendation: High School
  • Find Seafire on Amazon if you’d like to own a copy!
  • Find Seafire on WorldCat to see what libraries around you have this title available!