When invading Gyndilians tear through the kingdom of Klinhun and murder her sister, Adelaide mounts a peasant rebellion against the king who failed to protect them. Accompanied by her hawk Cyr, Adelaide sets out across Klinhun to secretly gather as… Keep Reading
K.B. Hoyle’s Gateway Chronicles, Part 3: The Scroll and The Bone Whistle
As a writer, I like to study other authors’ books and try to figure out how they cast their magic (or why the spell fails to stick). The downside of all that analysis, however, is that it’s hard to turn… Keep Reading
Water, Wood and Words: Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern, Part 2
In last month’s blog post, I featured the first two novels in Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern series. This month, I’m honing in on the other two volumes: River Secrets and Forest Born. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite contemporary authors…. Keep Reading
Wind and Fire: Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern, Part 1
Have you ever struggled to express your ideas in words, while others seem to speak with such ease and authority? Have you ever set out to do something good and brave, then found yourself in over your head, struggling just… Keep Reading
Two Deep-Winter Fantasies
I love to discover new fairytale retellings! Hunted and The Bear and the Nightingale top my favorite recent releases. These young adult novels move beyond the standard fare of Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers, into the lesser-known world of Russian fantasies…. Keep Reading
Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga: 4 Characters You’ll Never Forget
The Wingfeather Saga, by Andrew Peterson (who’s also an accomplished singer-songwriter), is a rollicking read that tweens and young teens will particularly enjoy. The four-volume series traces the adventures of three siblings–Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli–as they try to evade and… Keep Reading