The Seer and the Sword

The Seer and the Sword

by Victoria Hanley

     Legend tells of a mighty sword that makes its possessor invincible. But there is a curse on anyone who lifts the sword for conquest. King Kareed of Archeld foes after the sword anyway and wins it from the King of Bellandra.

     When he returns home from battle, King Kareed carries two special gifts for his daughter, Princess Torina. One is a unique crystal, in which she can view future. The other is the defeated king's son, Landen, who is to be her slave. Torina immediately release Landen, who becomes a member of the king's army and her close friend.
     But trouble lurks in the kingdom of Archeld, and people accuse Landen of plotting against the king. Torina refuses to believe Landen would hurt her family. Then Torina begins seeing deadly visions in her crystal. Can she save her father's life and the fate of her kingdom?*

     This novel is impressively well written. It is very engaging and while some parts may seem a little slow, everything is masterfully put together. I feel real distress for Torina and heartache when I read about Landen. Hanley pulls me right in and I become part of the story. I'm crossing my fingers in hope for a sequel!

* From the dust jacket

The Cloak Society

The Cloak Society

by Jeramey Kraatz

     The Cloak Society: An elite organization of supervillains graced with extraordinary powers. Ten years ago the Cloak Society was defeated by Sterling City's superheroes, the Rangers of Justice, and vanished without a trace. But the villains have been waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. . Twelve-year-old Alex Knight is a dedicated junior member of Cloak who has spent years mastering his telekinetic superpowers and preparing for the day when Cloak will rise to power again. Cloak is everything he believes in.

     But during his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable; he saves the life of a Junior Ranger of Justice. Even worse . . . she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders what, exactly, he's been fighting for.*

     I love this series. Supers has always been a passion of mine, but it is incredibly hard to find a book about superheros. Their are a lot of comics, but book are different and in my opinion, better.  I really cannot explain how much this series has captured my heart. Very entertaining and very creative. 
    
    This series is actually what inspired the book I am currently writing.  I has everything I can want in a book, while not being predictable. I recommend to read and I will gladly discuss with you for hours the sheer ingenuity of Kraatz. 

Hail Cloak!




* From the amazon description 

Masterminds

Masterminds

by Gordon Korman

     Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. In this idyllic place, every lawn in perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a tree house. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it's a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.

     Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he ever want to? Then one day he hikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents. . .*

    The second book in the series just came out and I enjoyed it even more then the first one. As said by Brandon Mull, "Masterminds takes readers on a wild ride with terrific humor, a surprising mystery, and characters you can't help but root for." This novel is very well written and very enjoyable.  Korman's writing is easy to follow but complex enough to help you not feel bored.  I have also read several of his other books and I have enjoyed those also.

* From the dust jacket

Aeronauts Windlass

The Aeronauts Windlass

by Jim Butcher

     Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have reeled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

     Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy's shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion−to join a team of agents on a vital mission, in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.
     And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a portent of things to come. Humanity's ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake . . .*

     One of my favorite authors is Brandon Sanderson because of the complexity and high quality of his writing. This reminded of his books. If you have read Sanderson you will understand what I am talking about. He is an amazing author.

     This book was fantastic. Before getting to me, this book went through two very picky readers and made it through with very high recommendations. This novel surprised me on several occasions and is one of those books that you can never explain to others. As said in Patrick Rothfuss's review of this book, "Great action, a fascinating world . . . this is everything I've come to expect from Jim Butcher, but in a delightful new flavor."

* From the dust jacket