Book Review: Ensnared

By Cheshire

I received this ARC from the program I participate in at the local indie bookstore. Thanks to the publisher (Amulet Books) and Red Balloon!

Summary: After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world–a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

My Rating: FIVE STARS!

Book Review: Clariel

By Cheshire

So I know it’s been quite a while since our last review but we’ve been so busy, the both of us, and I’ve just binge-read a ton of books so get ready for a Book Bonanza! Seriously. There’s going to be so many reviews on the way. And I have an ARC review coming up, and I’m currently working on two more of them, so… Yup. Here goes.

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilp. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her – and it is herself she must question most of all.

My Rating: 3 AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: The Circle

By Cheshire

First book in my book haul (unfortunately all the books I had on hold at the library have recently arrived so the rest of the book haul will have to wait). Here goes.

Summary: On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky. Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates- Vanessa, Linnéa, Anna-Karin, Rebecka, and Ida- arrive, compelled by the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida’s body and tells them that they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends… but they are the Chosen Ones.

My Rating: FOUR AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: Abhorsen (Cheshire)

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By Cheshire

So this is the final review (until Clariel) that I will be doing of the Old Kingdom trilogy. It is also the last review Blue and I will be doing separately on the same book for a while. So, enjoy it while you can. Warning: this may contain spoilers (both for this book and Lirael.) Here goes.

Summary: Orannis the Destroyer has been freed. And only Lirael, newly come into her in her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping it. She and her companions- Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget- have to take that chance. If Orannis’s unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With the help of her companions and a vision from the Clayr to guide her, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer- before it is too late.

My Rating: THREE AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: Sabriel (Blue)

By Blue

As Cheshire stated in her previous review, we’re now writing separate reviews on some of the books that we’ve both read and loved, thanks to a genius suggestion from our new guest author, March Hare. This way, we can see the same books from different angles, providing different sides of each story. So, for the second time, we have a review of Sabriel by Garth Nix. Here goes!

Summary (THIS IS THE SAME AS CHESHIRE’S, SO SKIP IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ IT): Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

My Rating: FIVE STARS!

Book Review: Sabriel (Cheshire)

By Cheshire
In case you were wondering why the title of this book review looks different, it’s because we at Cat and Caterpillar Reviews are implementing a new style of rating, suggested by our friend March Hare. (Thanks, March, you’re a doll.) To provide a range of opinions, Blue and I will be writing separate reviews, but only for the books we’ve both read.
So here’s my review of Sabriel by Garth Nix!

Summary: Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

My Rating: FIVE STARS!