Heroes Adrift

Title: Heroes Adrift
Author: Moira J. Moore
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.


Lee and Taro are out to save the world - kind of - again. This time they have been sent by the Empress on a super-sekkrit mission to the southern island (where, incidentally, her law is not recognized and Pairs are neither utilized nor believed in). They must find their way on the island, learning to earn a living for the first time in their lives, as well as learning that their mutual attraction is not necessarily a bad thing.

This was probably my favorite book of the trilogy. FINALLY the UST turns into RST - resolved sexual tension! And, AND, Lee finally got the glory in this one, not Taro! I love the image in my head of Lee as Leavy the Flame Dancer. Guh. Hello, new literary crush!

The only reason this book is getting 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because, as with the other two books, I figured out the "solution" LONG before Lee and Taro did - in this case, nearly 100 pages before them. For 100 pages I was shouting (in my head) "it's her! it's her!" Ah, well. Also, I really wish Lee would get over her self-esteem issues and realize that Taro's been in love with her since about halfway through book 1. I hope Moore writes a 4th book where this happens.

The Hero Strikes Back

Title: The Hero Strikes Back
Author: Moira J. Moore
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Source and Shield Pair Taro and Lee are back in a second book, this time dealing with mothers and murderers and wacky weather (which they can't control).

This book was just as amusing as the first. I can totally see the UST building up between the main characters: Lee completely has the hots for Taro (understandable) but refuses to admit it, except to herself. She will certainly NOT admit to herself that she is in love with him. Taro, on the other hand, is head over heels in love with Lee, and all but tells her - and she's too dense to pick up on it! God, I hope that gets resolved soon.

I loved the author's tongue-in-cheek humor which shows itself at points. As I pointed out in the review for the first book, she has fun in naming some of the cities. Also, she references "The Walrus and the Carpenter" quite a bit - and I loved picking the references out! "'Shoes and ships and ceiling wax'" indeed

The only disappointment I had was with the characters not picking up on what was happening for so long. At the climax of the story I had an inkling 30 pages before Lee realized what was going on, and I had it solidly confirmed for me 15 pages before then. I was screaming at her "hey stupid it's a trap!" for nearly a whole chapter.

Resenting the Hero

Title: Resenting the Hero
Author: Moira J. Moore
Genre: fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Somewhere out there, there is a planet where the forces of nature are so extreme the natural disasters so frequent and devastating, that human habitation of the realm is made possible only by gifted individuals able to redirect and dissipate the forces threatening human existence. Unfortunately, though, channeling these forces kills a Source - unless he or she is protected by a Shield. Now, in this world, Sources and Shields are almost always bonded pairs, as they work better this way. This bonding is instantaneous, involuntary, and lifelong - regardless of the feelings of the individual Source or Shield.

Lord Shintaro Karish and Dunleavey Mallorough are one such Bonded pair. Source Karish (or Taro, as he likes to be called), has a reputation of being a party boy - so much so that he is nicknamed the Stallion of the Triple S. Lee, his shield, just wanted a quiet, sedate life Shielding a Source who was not likely to get her into scrapes or adventures. Unfortunately, she got Karish. On their first posting, they have been assigned to High Scape, a city so prone to natural disasters it needs six - now seven - Pairs to protect it round-the-clock. Soon they find themselves in the midst of intrigue involving the deaths of five other Pairs, a league of disgruntled Shields, and a madman with a grudge against the system.

I really like this new world I get to explore in this book and its two sequels. I like the tongue-in-cheek attitude of naming the world's places: Erstwhile (the capital city), or High Scape (presumably in the mountains). Lee is wry in her narration of events, though slightly too stoic and practical for my liking - no one could be that detached, surely! Still, she's not detached enough to see pitfalls I could see coming miles away, so that makes up for it.

I enjoyed this book, and am very much looking forward to reading the next two in the series. This new world intrigues me, and I hope that Moore writes further adventures in this land, with these characters. I would definitely recommend it to lovers of fantasy, and those looking for quirky new characters with a sense of humor.

The Journal of Curious Letters

Title: The Journal of Curious Letters
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Source: Library Thing's Early Reviewers
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Tick is a nearly normal 13-year old. He's a bit nerdy and loves solving puzzles, and never takes off the scarf which covers his birthmark (even in the summer).

Then one day he receives a mysterious letter in the mail which changes his life forever.

"The Journal of Curious Letter" is amusing, and I think I will be reading the rest of the series as it is released in paperback, but I did have some issues with it.

I know that my copy was an unproofed ARC, but there were several typos and/or omitted words. The author also tries too hard in places to be funny, and has an unnatural obsession (it seems) with the number 3.

Beka Cooper: Terrier

Title: Beka Cooper: Terrier
Author: Tamora Pierce
Source: Border's
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Beka Cooper: Terrier marks Tamora Pierce's venture into the history of Tortall, and her first book written from a first-person point of view. Terrier is written as Cooper's diary (though there are entries from the journals of several other characters, Cooper's journal makes up the vast majority of the book).

Cooper is a puppy - a trainee ofthe Provost's guard - in the Lower City at a time when people are disappearing without a trace, the King of the Thieves is lazy and has stopped really doing his duties, and children are disappearing - including the grandchild of the most powerful (and corrupt) landlord ofthe Lower City. Beka, through her ability to hear the ghosts that pigeons carry, becomes involved in the disappearances, and through her friends reports to us the intrigues in the Court of the Rogue.

This is a great start to a new series of Tortall, and I cannot wait to read the next book, to see what happens to this ancestor of the Rogue cum Spymaster, George Cooper.

Ella Enchanted

Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Source: unknown
Rating: (no star rating)

"Ella Enchanted" caught my attention from the moment it came out, and it's had a special place on my bookshelf ever since. I've always been interested in Cinderella stories, so when I saw "Ella Enchanted" in the store, I knew I had to buy it. And buy it I did. I read through it in a matter of hours.

"Ella Enchanted" is a re-telling of the Cinderella story set in a fantasy world of trolls and ogres and fairies that can do magic (but usually they don't). It follows the basic plotline of Cinderella: a girl is forced to do what her stepmother and stepsisters say until she can marry her prince. But from there out, Levine takes the story into her own world and puts her own spin on things.

If you've seen the move but haven't read this book, be warned: the scriptwriters for the movie drastically changed things.They kept the same basic principle, but changed the story almost entirely, and made the movie much more frivolous than the book. I encourage you to read this book, but don't start it expecting it to mirror the movie, or vice-versa.