Garden of the Purple Dragon

Title: Garden of the Purple Dragon
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Rating: Five Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Time: Han Dynasty in China
Ping was once a young slave girl. But she became the Imperial Dragon Keeper, and good friends with the dragon Danzi.
Now, Ping and Danzi's son, Kai, live in continual danger. A necromancer wants Kai, as well as other people. When Ping and Kai are taken to Ming Yang Lodge, they are treated very well, and Ping believes she's safe.
But Ping is wondering about her family. And she and the baby dragon aren't safe within Ming Yang Lodge! The necromancer is around, and there are other enemies...
Will Ping and Kai survive this danger hidden in the shadows... or the Emperor's insane obsession with eternal life?

Rockin' Review:
Great book here! I didn't even know it was actually a part of a series at all! It is actually number 2 in the Dragon Keeper series. I can see where it's part of a series, but part of the reason I highly enjoy this book is that it can easily stand alone. Thumbs-up for Mrs. Wilkinson!
Plus, the story was extremely well written. It kept me in the book, and wanting more. I also enjoyed reading it. I highly suggest this book: it's totally rockin'!

Deep Wizardry

Title: Deep Wizardry
Author: Diane Duane
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
When Nita and Kit go to the beach for a vacation, they find another wizard that needs their help. They save her... and find out that the Lone Power is back! Well, sort of... the whole time-thing is confusing. Anyway, a certain ritual has to be done to save the Sea... and the entire world!
The problems? The other wizard, named S'ree, is a whale! The ritual has to be done with all sorts of whales... and a shark! The two humans have to transform into whales for this.
Their parents are getting worried. Nita's little sister is unraveling the secret. And, for Nita to fulfill the ritual, she needs to die and be eaten!
Secrets will be revealed. Powerful choices will be made. And someone will die.
But will it be enough, and in time, to stop the Lone Power once again?

Rockin' Review:
Okay, unlike the last book, this one didn't get better as time went by. It stayed 3-Guitar all the way. It was enjoyable, and I would still say to read it, but it doesn't have the glow of the first book.
Diane Duane didn't do the greatest of jobs explaining some things. The time-thing I mentioned above is one of them. I don't blame her as much here, though. I would have trouble explaining it too (I think I got it... more or less). Then there was Nita's final choice at the end. The author didn't do a good job explaining why Nita chose what she did. It doesn't really make such sense.
Book Number 2 in the Young Wizard series is a pretty good book, but was a bit of a drop compared to the last book. Still, read it when you have time.

The Source of Magic

Title: The Source of Magic
Author: Piers Anthony
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Bink's now a married man, and Chameleon is going to have a baby... and she's in her "smart" phase, meaning she's grumpy. When Bink's talent causes trouble, King Trent sends Bink to find the source of Xanth's magic. With Bink are Bink's friends, Chester the centaur (who's wife is also having a baby, which is a foal in the centaur's case), and Crombie the soldier (he's not having baby trouble, since he HATES women). Trent even turns Crombie into a griffin for this quest. The Good Magician Humfrey also joins them, though he knows something: the quest could possibly destroy the magic of Xanth!
But a hidden enemy hounds them during their quest. Bink's magic and the others' abilities help them to survive, but will they defeat this hidden enemy?
Even if their quest succeeds, will finding the source of magic really doom the land of Xanth?

Rockin' Review:
Interesting pattern here. I read a really rockin' book, then an only-average book. Up... then down. At least this wasn't a one-guitar! It helps me see why the Xanth series stayed around. This is book #2 in that series.
The book only really grabbed your attention at the end. You know... big showdown, the big choice, and trying to fix the new major problem. Big stuff at the end. But, while the the rest wasn't terrible, it wasn't the greatest. That's why this is a three-guitar book.
And then the very end had a problem. We see Bink have all sorts of problems with love and women, but him staying loyal to Chameleon. We see his growing desire to return to his wife, and his child. While we learn of the baby's birth and talent, we never saw the baby or Chameleon at the end! That's not fair! Mr. Anthony gets us all warmed up to re-see Bink's family, and wanting to see them ourselves, and never lets us see them! That was not a good move! It left a hanger, and I don't like that!
This is a book you only want to read if you have time.

The Experiment

Title: The Experiment
Author: Bill Myers
Rating: Five Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
In this second book of the Imager Chronicles, Denise uses the Bloodstone to go back to the world of Fayrah. But this time, she brings her friend Josh, who believes everything has an explanation, and won't take the idea of an all-powerful God easily. But Denise has problems with believing that the Imager does indeed love all.
After a major problem in the Center, the two meet the Weaver, who weaves the character of everyone God creates. Then they go to the land of Biiq, where solutions are to each of their problems. But when the Illusionist comes along to mess up the solution to Denise's problem, will everything still turn out all right?

Rockin' Review:
This was a really good book. There were answers to some questions Christian people might have. The answers were well-done, and well-answered. But they were answered in an unique, and thoughtful way. It's a short book, but the story was pretty well done. This and the first book of the Imager Chronicles is suggested, especially when you need a quicker read! They're rockin' little books!

Cherub, a division of M15--Mission 6: Man VS. Beast

Title: Cherub, a division of M15--Mission 6: Man VS. Beast
Author: Robert Muchamore
Rating: Three and a Half Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Most animal protection groups stay nonviolent. But a new animal liberation group called the Animal Freedom Militia are getting dangerous beyond belief. They believe if both animals and humans are equal, it's OK for one human to die for many animals.
A man named Ryan, who led an animal protection group that was nonviolent, agrees to work with the British government if he can help stop the AFM. Zara agrees to help, and takes our three heroes, the Cherub agents James, his younger sister Lauren, and a friend named Kyle. Their mission: to get into the AFM and take it down.
They meet new friends, but James and Kyle get into a different group: the Animal Freedom Army. But this group is just as bad and dangerous. Can the agents save a famous person before he is killed by these crazy AFA people?

Rockin' Review:
All around, this was a good book. The story was well done, and the characters were well done... though the gay guys Kyle and Tom did some freakin' out stuff. Yeesh!
But this book had less spy stuff I like, like stooping out rooms for stuff. There was one close, but we didn't "see" what happened. That was not a good call.
And there were stuff relating to animals that freaked me out. I'm hoping it'll be gone from memory soon. If the author wanted us to feel freaked out about animals, and how humans sometimes treat them, he did a good job. Though I have no intention of going vegetarian! The stuff that freaked me out is why it didn't get the half guitar that would have made it a four-guitar.
Anyway, this is a pretty good book. Read it if you have time, but read all the other books in the Cherub series. It had been a while, and I had to rack my memories some. And make sure you got a good gut... there is some scary stuff in here!