Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Elfstones of Shannara

Title: The Elfstones of Shannara
Author: Terry Brooks
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzlin' Summary:
A new danger comes for the Four Lands... and this time it's ancient! The Demons have at long found a break from the Forbidding, an imprisonment keeping them bound to another world. The ancient magical tree that keeps the Forbidding up, is dying, and has to be reborn soon.
Allanon has returned... and just in the nick of time! But too close this time. There is only one Chosen left... one who can carry the tree's seed to the Bloodfire, the earth's blood, in order to save the world. And Shea's grandson, Wil, is now the owner of the Elfstones... the only defense against the Demons! Wil is made protector of the last Chosen, but he has problems with the Elfstones. Will he overcome everything to end the quest and save the world?
Even if he does, can he stand the price at the end?

Rockin' Review:
Once again, a well-written book. But it wasn't as enjoyable as the first book either. It was only in-between. But I'm once again impressed how Terry Brooks can keep track of the time in those books... I couldn't tell what was happening when half of the time!
So, another in-between. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either! A good book to read when you have the time.

Pillage

Title: Pillage
Author: Obert Skye
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
When Beck Phillips's mom dies, he is sent to his extremely rich uncle in Kingsplot. Things don't seem so bad at first... but there are mysteries all around this small town. The main ones seem to be around his uncle's mansion... but his uncle can't explain, since he's locked himself in the attic and seems a little... out of sorts. Beck even has an odd power around plants! When a possible new danger arises, Beck may be the only one to stop an old enemy of the family's and his family's curse!

Rockin' Review:
This was an okay book. Mr. Skye did a good job expressing how the main character felt. He did a pretty good job writing it. But the action didn't really start until the end, when things started picking up.
Overall, it's a good book, but suggested for reading when you have time, or are taking a break from a series for a short time.

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Sword of Shannara

Title: The Sword of Shannara
Author: Terry Brooks
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
When a mysterious stranger comes to Shady Vale, the lives of Shea, a half-Elf, and Flick, his brother through adoption, are about to change suddenly! The stranger's name is Allanon, and he is more than he appears to be. He warns that Brona, the Warlock Lord, is hunting Shea, since he is the last in the line of Shannara. At first, the brothers don't believe him... until a Skull Bearer, servant of the Warlock Lord, comes into town!
The two brothers flee for their lives, and are soon stuck in a quest to save the world! Brona wants to take over the world, and the only thing that can stop him is the Sword of Shannara. And the only one that can use the Sword is Shea! With a gang of friends, both old and new, and his loyal brother, Shea heads out to get the Sword.
But will it be in time to save the Southland... and the entire WORLD?!?

Rockin' Review:
This was a really good book! I can see where this guy became famous... and this was his first book! I couldn't tell the time relations all the time, though... like if we were supposed to five days earlier than what we just read, when he switches from one party's eyes to another.
But I suggest this first book of the famous Shannara series. It's rockin'!

The Trouble With Max

Title: The Trouble With Max
Author: Patricia H. Rushford
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Jessie Miller is not only bald, but also has leukemia. Her lonely life ends when Max moves in. Max is a bit more adventurous than Jessie, but the two become fast friends. When Jessie finds out that Max's aunt and uncle (who Max lives with) abuses her and deals with drugs, Max makes her keep it a secret, though Max is trying to cut their supply to make her life better. How far will things go before justice and goodness prevails?

Rockin' Review:
This was an okay book. I think it did a good job of showing the views of two troubled kids with problems. But this is supposed to be the first of the "Max & Me Mysteries", and I don't think it was a very good mystery at all! There wasn't any searching for clues or anything! So the book's okay, but don't pick it up for a mystery read!