Corus the Champion Review

Author: D. Barkley Briggs

 He was once the greatest champion in the land.

Then he disappeared.

With Nemesia's defeat, the Barlows have helped turn the tide in the Hidden Lands. But the victory is short-lived. An even greater evil stirs in the north with a fierce new army bent on destruction. As the twins, Gabe and Garret, discover their own special powers, a thin thread of hope emerges: long ago, a fabled king was rescued from death on our world and hidden on Karac Tor. Who is he?

Each brother has their part to play. Hadyn must travel north to warn the land barons, which leaves Ewan with a bitter choice. Will he sacrifice what is most precious to discover whether Corus lives? Even more important, if Corus is alive, can he wake the Sleeping King of legend...before it's too late?

Characters: Excellent. I enjoyed getting to learn more about Hadyn and Ewan’s brothers, as well as seeing the return of several old friends (particularly Cruedwyn Creed) and meeting quite a few new friends. I also liked that I got to find out more about Corus.

4/5

Location: Very good. The locations were clear and easy to visualize, creative enough to impress me, but with enough basis on Earth that I could get a very good picture of them.

5/5

Plot: I have mixed feelings about the plot of this book. On one hand, it’s even more exciting than the first book, with many more twists. On the other hand, I disliked the fact that in many places, there would be several chapters with one character, and then we’d go back to a different character and have missed out on so much. I also had a hard time figuring out how much time had passed. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there were a few things that I had issues with.

3/5

Other: This book was even better than the previous one, and it’s definitely a must-read series. I especially liked the use of Arthurian legends in the story.

Overall Rating: 4/5

The Book of Names Review

Author: D. Barkley Briggs

Characters: Very good. The characters were very realistic, but still unique. I felt like I really got to know them throughout the book, though I did feel a bit detached from them at times.

3/5

Location: Excellent. The friend who recommended this book to me said that the location was good, and I’m definitely not going to argue. I can’t think of anything that should be changed about it.   

5/5

Plot: Very good! Though I felt like it started off a bit slow at first, the plot was engaging and fairly well paced throughout most of the book. There were plenty of plot twists, particularly towards the end of the book, and just the right amount of humor.

4/5

Other: I really enjoyed this book! Though there were several parts of it that I, being quite familiar with this particular genre, saw coming, I thought that overall it was quite original and interesting!

Overall Rating: 4/5

A Quick Update

• On June 26, we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. I had a lot of fun, especially since I got to go on a roller coaster, Apollo's Chariot, for the first time. I was completely terrified, but I also loved it enough to go on it a second time! (My family actually went on it a third time towards the end of the day, but by that time, all I was really interested in was eating dinner.) We also went on all three water rides. My favorite was the Roman Rapids, on which we all got completely, totally soaked, from head to tennis shoes. (Wet tennis shoes and socks, by the way, are very uncomfortable.) We wanted to go on the new roller coaster, the Verbolten, but it was closed. But since I had a good time, I'm not super upset about the ride being closed.
• Unfortunately, after we returned from Busch Gardens, I got sick with some very annoying allergies. They actually kept me in bed for much of Saturday, which was annoying since I wanted to get in some last minute editing and writing before July. However, the next day I was feeling well enough to get in quite a bit of writing, and I'm feeling much better now.
• Before I got sick, though, I got to have a very fun day with one of my friends from Bible Study. We started out the day with helping at her church's VBS (quite fun; we were working in the preschool craft room and didn't really have to do much), then went to the mall and the Sweet Frog, a frozen yogurt shop that's my new favorite ice cream/frozen yogurt place.  Then I stayed at her house for dinner and went home after Bible Study.
• On July 1st, I started Camp NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. It's the summer version of NaNoWriMo, which takes place in November and I did last year. So far, it's going very well. I'm about a day ahead of schedule, since on average I've been able to get a few pages over my daily goal of 15 pages. My plot is a fairy tale remake that combines Rapunzel and The 12 Dancing Princesses. I'm really enjoying it, since it's something I haven't done since I first got into writing. I also like figuring out all the different character's personalities; it's definitely reminded me how even though I'm the author, my characters can still surprise me. (For example, I have one character, Pansy, who's proving to be much more important than I expected. Which is a good thing, because I happen to very much like Pansy.)

Well, that's about it. Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I've been meaning to, but I forgetting and doing other stuff instead. (And procrastinating, I'll admit. I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth.) Thanks again for stopping by!

-Sarah

What I've Been Up To

Hello, everyone! I’m finally posting another of my sporadic updates on what I’ve been doing lately. First, though, I’d like to apologize for not doing one of these updates since April. I’m going to do my best both to stop letting procrastination get the best of me this summer and to do more worth blogging about!

• I finished writing the novel around the middle of May that I started on Easter. It ended up being shorter than I expected, though I think it still turned out fairly well. I’m currently in the process of editing it. It’s going well, though much slower than I’d like, since I’ve had to make a lot of changes from the original draft.
• I also started a new novel around the end of May, based on an idea that I’d been playing around with for a month or so. Like most of my novels, it’s set in another world, though this other world is very similar to medieval England. It’s about a girl who’s grown up in a wealthy family, and thus is expected to be the perfect lady, wear the latest styles, attend social events, and think about who she’s going to marry. My main character, however, isn’t at all interested in this, and would much rather spend her time out in the forest. When her father is kidnapped, she goes looking for him and ends up, of course, on the adventure of a lifetime. It’s going fairly well, though slower than I’d like.
• During the past two or so weeks, my family also went on our annual trip to the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. I had a lot of fun, especially since most of the hiking trails we did were ones I liked. It also helped that the weather was much nicer than it’s been in previous years, which meant we did a lot of marshmallow-roasting! Also, as you may remember, when we went to the area last October, I lost one of my arrows. Well, when we went back this year, we found it! (Actually, Mommy found it.) The tip is a bit rusty, but overall, it’s in surprisingly good condition.
• Speaking of archery, on May 5, my sister and I went to a one-time archery class. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot, including that I’d been shooting with my non-dominant eye. It also made me want a new bow, a recurve bow to be exact. What’s a recurve bow? Well, you may know what a longbow looks like. It’s the kind that people like Robin Hood and Legolas use in movies. A recurve bow is similar, but the ends curve back.
• I’ve also been doing the summer challenge from the Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine with my sister. The challenge is to earn points by doing different types of exercise, and the goal is to earn 260 points by the end of August. So far, I’ve learned that when it comes to getting points, hiking is better than walking, and that jumping rope is more strenuous than it looks.

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for waiting so patiently for this post!

-Sarah

Mockingjay Review

Author: Suzanne Collins

"Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to become a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay- no matter what the personal cost."

Characters: I’m honestly not sure what to say about the characters. On one hand, like in the previous two books, they seemed to come to life as the book progressed. On the other hand, I disliked the fact that half the time, I didn’t know who it was safe to trust, and many main characters who I knew were supposed to be good (*cough* KATNISS *cough*) make some pretty bad choices. The characters were realistic, yes, but in this case, the realism seemed disappointing.

4/5

Location: Good. The settings were fairly easy to envision, as well as being fairly interesting. I didn’t get confused as to where places were in relation to other places. I will note that occasionally, I did get confused as to when things happened in relation to other events.   

4/5

Plot: I have mixed feelings about the plot. On one hand, it does a good job of finishing up the trilogy. It’s full of twists and quite fast-paced. Like Catching Fire, however, it almost seems too fast-paced in some parts. Also, I will note that a lot of people die, making it almost a little depressing at times, and the last few chapters seemed a little rushed.

3/5

Other: While The Hunger Games was the type of book you can’t put down, and Catching Fire you could put down but you didn’t really want to, this seemed like the kind of book that you have to take a short break from every so often to keep yourself from being overwhelmed. I definitely do not consider it the best in the series.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Catching Fire Review

Author: Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

 

Characters: I have very mixed feelings about the characters.  On one hand, the main characters are lifelike enough that they seem to jump right off the page. I liked getting to find out more about Haymitch, and most of the new characters were interesting. On the other hand, some of the returning characters (read: Katniss and to a degree, Peeta) disappointed me with certain choices they made.

4/5

Location: Very good. Unlike the previous book, I was able to really get a feel for the locations in Catching Fire. I especially liked the Arena; it was much more interesting and much more easy to envision than the Arena from the first book.    

4/5

Plot: Ok. The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of twists. However, I almost think it moves too fast. Several times, I lost track of exactly how much time passed between events.

3/5

Other: Catching Fire, though a good book and worth reading, is definitely not as good as The Hunger Games. I’d also like to say that right now, I think that if certain characters die, I’ll go crazy.  

Overall Rating: 3/5