Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

Title: Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike #1)
Author: Kirsten Miller
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Mystery
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Minor Swearing
Premise: "

Life becomes more interesting for Ananka Fishbein when, at the age of twelve, she discovers an underground room in the park across from her New York City apartment and meets a mysterious girl called Kiki Strike who claims that she, too, wants to explore the subterranean world." (American Fork Library System)

Opinions: This was a fun read.  It is a book filled with fascinating twists and turns and strong young women characters.  It's a great book to show the strength and brilliance that pre-teen/teen young women can find within themselves.  Even though the story is told about Kiki Strike, girl detective, my favor character is the narrator Ananka Fishbein.  I love seeing her develop through the story and to find faith in herself and in friendship.  I also love the brilliant way the author interweaves interesting facts about New York that bring a different world to light for the reader.  Overall, this a great read for young women (and some not so young) who love mystery. I, for one, intend to seek out my library this week for book two in the series.  I let you know how it goes.

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Title: Icefall
Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Youth/Junior or Young Adult depending on your library Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Princess Solveig and her siblings are trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen fjord, along with her best friend and an army of restless soldiers, all awaiting news of the king's victory in battle, but as they wait for winter's end and the all-encompassing ice to break, acts of treachery make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst." (King County Library System)
Opinions:  I love tales surrounding Norwegian history or mythology, so I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this world and learning more about it.  I loved the intriguing characters. Solveig is, by far, my favorite, and I felt very connected to her and to what she learns about herself and others. I also love the complexity of the relationship between characters, especially between the classes and roles and what happens when events start to make preconceived believes begin to unravel.   Mr. Kirby's writing and use of words are beautiful and descriptive and draws you into the tails that Solveig weaves.  Icefall is a great tale of discovering the strength within yourself and a book that I had a hard time putting down.

The Long Way Home by Karen McQuestion

Title: The Long Way Home
Author: Karen McQuestion
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: Adult Fiction (Mildly Paranormal?)
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: There is a talk about a murder and two physical attacks on a character
Premise: For Wisconsinites Marnie, Laverne and Rita, life isn't working out so well. Each is biding time, waiting for something better, something to transport them out of what their lives have recently become. And then there's Jazzy: bubbly, positive, and happy even though she hears voices of the departed. Brought together by a chance meeting, the women decide to join Marnie on a road trip from Wisconsin to Las Vegas where she intends to reunite with Troy, the boy she raised as her own—and who she’s been separated from since her boyfriend’s death. Little do they know that as the road trip unfolds, so will their lives—in directions they never anticipated. Humorous, heartwarming, and bittersweet, the journey has something special in store for each woman.

Opinions: So this is the third book I have read and reviewed by Karen McQuestion.  The other two (here and here) are YA fantasy.  So I didn't know what to expect from this novel since it was not at all like the other two I've read.  This is most assuredly a book for adults.  Three of the characters are dealing with the death or loss of a loved one and the fourth character hears the voices of departed souls.  Unexpectedly thrown together, these four women go on a road trip to help one of the women try to reconnect with her stepson.

I love the use of the physical journey mirroring the mental journey these four women take.  I really felt the pain that they were in and the healing process they went through.  This is one of Karen McQuestions' strengths as a writer.  She writers her characters so effortlessly that you connect with them easily and quickly.  I was hooked from the very beginning of the book and I couldn't put it down.  I felt like I was a part of the group on the journey to Nevada.

This is a phenomenal book.  It was a great piece of fiction and I enthusiastically encourage you to take the time to read it.  It is worth it.

The Skeleton's Knife by Joni Sensel

Title: The Skeleton's Knife
Author: Joni Sensel
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: Deals with ghosts and spooks. There is a journey to the land of the dead that is creepy with some otherworldly violence.
Premise: When 14-year-old Ariel Farwalker sets out to return a dead enemy's knife to its source, she lends strength to an evil that seeks her attention. Aided by a new friend with a smuggler's savvy and a talent for charming the wind, Ariel must travel to the land of the dead to save someone she loves and bury both the knife and the past. If she fails, neither she nor her most beloved friends will survive.

Opinions: Now I have to admit I was SUPER excited to read this book.  In preparation for it, I read the first two books again so it would be fresh in my head.  And, honestly, it wasn't the story that I was expecting, but I loved it.  I thought it was a very satisfying ending to a great trilogy.  Ariel and Scarl go on a journey to purge themselves of the violence in their past that haunted them.  Zeke joins them and through this journey they all find  the closure they need.

It has a different feel to it than the first two books.  It's a little darker.  Okay, a lot darker.  But I loved it.  Joni Sensel is an amazing writer and I am excited to see what she writes next.

The Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel

Title: The Timekeeper's Moon
Author: Joni Sensel
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: none
Premise: When Ariel Farwalker hears the moon talking to her, she thinks she must be going crazy. Then she discovers an ancient map, and learns that the moon is part of a mysterious summons that's calling her on a new journey.

With her surly guardian Scarl by her side, Ariel sets out on an adventure that leads her to new friends-the beautiful Flame-Mage Sienna and the mute boy Nace, who captures Ariel's heart. As the four travel on, strange things start to happen-fragments of Ariel's past appear in the present, so that it seems that time itself is coming undone. At the end of the journey, Ariel will learn where her journey began, and have a chance to save her life as she knows it.


Opinions: I am ashamed to admit that I read this book over a year ago and forgot to write a review (hangs head in shame). So I am going to repent and write this review now. PLUS the next review I post will be the final book in this trilogy. The first book in this trilogy is "The Farwalker's Quest" (for my review go here.) When I finished "The Farwalker's Quest" I was completely satisfied. While I wanted to read a sequel, I wasn't sure there would be one. However! I am so glad that there is! I loved loved loved this book. It follows Ariel and Scarl on a journey pushed on Ariel by the moon.

One of the things I like about this book is that in "The Farwalker's Quest" Ariel is learning that she is a farwalker and what that means.  In this book, she is actually farwalking, and it is both interesting and complex.  I love how she grows.  I also really like how her character develops.  Plus the new characters appeal to me and are highly delightful.

This is an amazing series that I have loved.  Stay tuned for my review on the final book.  It's a good one.

The Way to Start A Day by Byrd Baylor

Title: The Way to Start A Day
Author: Byrd Baylor (Illustrator: Peter Parnall)
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise:"Text and illustrations describe how people all over the world celebrate the sunrise." (King County Library System)
Opinions: For our book club this month we are reading a series of Byrd Baylor books. I started by reading this Caldecott Honor book to my daughter this evening and thought it was quite beautiful. The book describes different cultures and ways that they honor the sun. The illustrations fit the language wonderfully and help children to follow along with each culture described. For anyone with little kids this book is a great tool to talk to your children about how everyone starts the day differently.

Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

Title: Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery (Book #1)
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: FABULOUS
Alerts/Warnings: Murder and nefarious behavior assorted with such crimes
Premise: "Cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor--a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is the woman's missing two year-old child." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I KNOW!!! Two reviews from me in under a week. Since I was crazy and had a third kid last year I haven't been able to focus my brain power on as much reading as I would like. However, I've had several people recommend to me the works of Josi S. Kilpack. So I rushed a request off to my local library and yesterday they had the first book in this series ready and waiting for me. I've said it before, but I am a mystery fan. Have been since I was about 10 or so (memories get fuzzy with lack of sleep...oh and age). So I picked it up yesterday and here I am at almost 11:30 pm writing a review about this book. Why? Because I could NOT put it down. It was FABULOUS!!!

I love Sadie, the main character, she is brilliantly written. She is absolutely the kind of woman I would love to know. She is witty, intelligent, has dealt with struggles in life, but come out ahead. She also is kindhearted and tries to be helpful whenever she can(even if it gets her in trouble with the police). She is a spunky, sassy, brilliant heroine. On a side note, I also LOVE that there are recipes included at the end of each chapter. And the frustrating part is now I have to go buy a copy just to have the recipes (let alone the great mystery that comes with them). The suspense is great, and the twists and turns keep you jumping around trying to figure out who really committed the crime. The library better be ready for me, because now I simply have to read the rest of the series and I suggest that you check them out as well.