The Lord of the Rings Part Three: The Return of the King (book review)

The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien, is the final book in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In this book, the hobbits Frodo and Sam, take the final step to destroy the treacherous Ring of Power. But it has been a hard journey littered by perils, and Frodo has begun to despair. Can Sam keep their hopes up long enough to complete their journey?

Far away, their hobbit friends Merry and Pippin are fighting a battle of their own. They fight to destroy the power of the evil wizard Saruman. But there is danger at every turn! Will Merry and Pippin live to see the day when Frodo and Sam return?

This book was my least favorite of the series, but it was still a great book! I'm sad to be finishing the series, but I can always read them again. The characters were all very well developed, but there were so many that I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of them!

I give this book 8.5 out of 10 stars!


The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 15 books down, 0 to go! I finished!

My list:
1. The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (library book)
2. The Lord of the Rings-Part Two-The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Lord of the Rings-Part Three-The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Septimus Heap-Book One-Magyk by Angie Sage
5. Children of the Lamp by P.B. Kerr
6. The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
7. The Book without Words by Avi
8. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
9. Ragweed by Avi
10. Poppy by Avi
11. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins
12. Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep by Liz Kessler
13. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver
14. The Chronicles of Prydain: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
15. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure (book review)

The Akhenaten Adventure, by PB Kerr, is the story of twelve-year-old twins John and Phillipa Gaunt, who one day discover that they are djinn, and have the power to grant wishes, turn into animals, and other amazing things. Luckily for them, they are introduced to Nimrod, their strange djinn-uncle. He helps them harness their powers and is soon leading them on an adventure through Egypt to discover the tomb of the long lost pharoah Akhenaten. The twins will face cobras, scorpions, possessed humans, and also the most evil djinn in the universe, Iblis. Will they live to see another adventure?

This was a great story. It went along at a fast pace, and there were surprises everywhere! The characters weren't as well developed as they could have been though, but that was the only bad thing about this book!

I give this book 8 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 14 books down, 1 to go!

Poppy (book review)

Poppy is the second book in the Poppy series by Avi. In this story, a young deer mouse named Poppy meets the headstrong traveler Ragweed, who has just arrived in Dimwood forest from the city. Ragweed and Poppy immediately fall in love, and Ragweed asks Poppy out to a dance on Bannock Hill. But the evil ruler of Dimwood, a horned owl named Mr. Ocax, doesn't give them permission to go out on the hill. To get revenge, he kills Ragweed and nearly kills Poppy. After this encounter, something stirs within Poppy. The mice of Dimwood forest have lived under Ocax's evil rule for too long! It's time to do something. To show she cares, Poppy teams up with a very unlikely companion and heads out to do what's right.

This story was suspenseful and interesting. You always had to know what was going to happen next! It was also funny. Poppy is a well developed character, as are the others in the story. They all vary greatly. The plot was interesting and unpredictable.

I give this book 8.5 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 13 books down, 2 to books to go.

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (book review)

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, by Suzanne Collins, is the story of 11-year-old Gregor and his 2-year-old sister Boots. Gregor has stumbled on a land below the surface of the Earth, where humans live together with giant rats, mice, bats, spiders, cockroaches, ants and lizards. It is Gregor's third journey to this world called the Underland. He is the chosen one, the warrior, who has saved the Underland twice before because of a prophecy. Now, he is back, with his sister Boots, the Overland princess, to stop a mysterious plague from spreading throughout the Underland. He must face enemies, monsters, and the shocking truth of the plague so that he can save the Underland... as well as his closest friends.

This is one of my favorite series! And I cannot wait to read the fourth book!

I give this book 8.5 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 12 books down, 3 to go!

Emily Windsnap & the Monster from the Deep (book review)

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep is a fantasy story by Liz Kessler. Emily Windsnap has always felt alone in the world; she is half mermaid and half human. When on land, she's human, in the water, she's a mermaid. During her old life on the pier, she felt lonely living with humans. Now, on the magical Allpoints Island, a safe haven for mermaids, she feels like an outcast. All she wants is to show her mermaid friends that she is just as good as they are. Instead, she wakes up the bloodthirsty kraken, an octopus-like monster who is only supposed to be woken every hundred years. Now, eight years before the next scheduled awakening, the kraken is angry for revenge. The only way the mermaids can bring peace is to give the kraken the person who woke it up. Can Emily find a way to fix this mess?

This was a super fast read...I read it in one sitting. The characters were interesting and very different from one another. I think it would be fun to meet most of them--if they were real, of course! It was a fun read, as was the first in the series, and I'm definitely going to get the rest!

I give this book 8 out of 10 stars.


The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 11 books down, 4 to go.

The Book of Three : Book One of the Chronicles of Prydain(book review)

The Book of Three is a fantasy story by Lloyd Alexander. In the village of Caer Dallben, Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran dreams of doing something heroic. Instead he looks after a pig, though his charge is Hen Wen, Prydain's one and only oracular pig. When Hen Wen runs away, Taran gets his chance to be a hero. But he finds himself lost in the dark woods. And with the dreaded Horned King on the loose and the lord of Annuvin, land of the dead, gathering evil forces, Taran finds that it isn't easy to be a hero.


I didn't really like this book. Although it contained interesting characters, the book overall lacked a lot of action and failed to pull me in. I don't think I'll read the next books in the series.

I give this book 5 out of 10 stars.


The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 10 books down, 5 to go.

A Wind in the Door (book review)

A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle, is the sequel to A Wrinkle in Time. In this story, Meg Murry is afraid for her brother Charles Wallace. He is being bullied by the other first-graders at his school, and he has also fallen prey to a strange disease called mitochondritis. To save him, Meg and her friend Calvin O'Keefe must go inside one of Charles Wallace's mitochondria to stop an evil entity called Echthroi from destroying Charles Wallace...as well as the world. But they are not alone on their quest- accompanying them are the cherubim Proginoskes, a tall, dark man named Blajeny, a mysterious snake named Louise the Larger, Meg and Calvin's former teacher Mr. Jenkins, and one of Charles Wallace's very own farandolae, Sporos. Can they all save Charles together?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was definitely as wonderful as Wrinkle in Time, and I can't wait to read the next one, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Thanks Jean!

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 9 books down, 6 to go.

Magyk (book review)

Magyk is a suspenseful fantasy story by Angie Sage. In this story, Silas and Sarah Heap are celebrating the arrival of their seventh son, Septimus Heap. Septimus is special and Magykal, as he is the seventh son of the seventh son. When Septimus is taken from them by the Matron Midwife, a servant of the dark and powerful wizard, DomDaniel, the Necromancer, Silas and Sarah lament. But then a baby girl is found in the woods. The Heaps take her in and name her Jenna. But this girl holds a dark secret...a secret that, ten years later, will send Silas to a place he never imagined he would ever have to go, with people he never thought he'd meet, on a mission he never thought he would embark on. Is Jenna the key to finding Septimus and restoring peace?

It took me five days to read this book, but I enjoyed every minute of it! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 8 books down, 7 to go.

Ragweed (book review)

Ragweed is a fantasy story by Avi, the first in the Poppy series. Ragweed is a young mouse who leaves his home early to explore the world. He heads to the big city, where he meets a bunch of city mice--Clutch the guitar playing, skateboarding mouse and her band, Lugnut and Dipstick, as well as the mysterious albino Blinker. Blinker's previous life still haunts him. He was formerly kept in a cage in a human home. The human wasn't so bad, but this home was also inhabited by the evil feline Silversides. Now Silversides and her pal Graybar are back, and determined to destroy the mouse population. Can Ragweed, Clutch, Dipstick, Lugnut,and Blinker save the day?

I really enjoyed this story. It was a fast read, but Ragweed was action-packed and suspenseful!

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars.


The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 7 books down, 8 to go.

The Golden Compass (book review)

The Golden Compass is a fantasy story by Philip Pullman. The story takes place in a parallel world where every human is accompanied by a daemon, a creature in the form of an animal. A daemon can shapeshift until you grow up, when it takes its final form. The main character is Lyra Belacqua, with her daemon Pantalaimon. She roams Jordan College as an orphan, until the sinister villian Mrs. Coulter captures her heart. When Lyra learns Mrs. Coulter's terrible secret, she runs away to the North, accompanied by some unusual companions, and Pantalaimon, of course. What she doesn't know is that she alone is destined to save her world.

I really enjoyed this book! I was sucked right in, imagining I was living in Lyra's world. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

I give this book a 10 out of 10!

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 6 books down, 9 to go.

By the way, I found out just yesterday that this book is being made into a movie. Hooray! And they have a website where you can take a quiz and find out about your own personal daemon. Here's mine:

The Lord of the Rings Part Two: The Two Towers (book review)

The Two Towers is the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, by JRR Tolkien. It took me almost a week to read, but it was very good and I had a hard time putting it down.

In this book, Frodo is a poor hobbit with the Ring of Power, an evil weapon which, as its name describes, holds great powers. He knows he must destroy this weapon by bringing it to Mordor, a dark land where the evil lord Sauron rules. But it is a hard journey, and along with his faithful companion Sam, Frodo must put his trust in the dark Gollum, a creature possessed by the Ring's power.

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 5 books down, 10 to go.

Spirit Walker (book review)

Spirit Walker is a fantasy by Michelle Paver. It's the second one in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, following Wolf Brother.

In the story, Torak a thirteen-year-old outcast from the Wolf Clan, is living with the Raven Clan. After killing a demon bear that was destroying the Forest, he is a hero amongst them. But Torak is destined to fight another evil, this time a demon child. His hunt takes him across the Sea, to the islands of the Seal Clan. There he discovers secrets that will change his life forever.

I thought this book was well-written and a good read. It was suspenseful and hard to put down. In my opinion, it was much better than the first one, Wolf Brother.

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars (finally!).

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 4 down, 11 to go.

The Book without Words (book review)

The Book without Words is a fantasy by Avi. In this story, Master Thorston is a powerful alchemist who is about to make the stones of life, which will let him achieve immortality. But when he falls to his death and swallows a stone, the only heirs to Thorston's magic are his servant girl named Sybil and Odo, Thorston's talking raven. However, when they can't read his Book without Words, they are faced with a choice: get thrown into the street or find out how to read Thorston's book and make gold to save themselves.

I really enjoyed this story, though I have read books by Avi, such as The Good Dog and Poppy and Rye, that I liked even more. If you try this book, I hope you will enjoy it just as much as I did!

I give this book 9 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 3 down, 12 to go.

The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects (book review)

For most people, living in a community of runaway fairy-tale characters, called Everafters, would be amazing. But not for Sabrina Grimm. It just so happens that her great-great-great-great grandfather Wilhelm Grimm, along with the powerful witch Baba Yaga, cast an enchantment on the small town of Ferryport Landing, ensuring that no Everafters could escape. So most Everafters hate the Grimms.

Although she puts up with the Everafters every day, Sabrina does not trust them. She knows one of them kidnapped her parents, and left her stuck with her eccentric grandma, a four thousand year old fairy, the Big Bad Wolf, and her sister Daphne Grimm, for family. Sabrina is determined to find out which one of the Everafters is responsible, and bring them to justice.

I thought this book was really well-written. It was funny and entertaining, and at times suspenseful. This is the second in The Sisters Grimm series, and I hope there will be many more to come.

I give this book 9 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: 2 books read, 13 to go.

a few additons...

Just a few more to add to my list for the The Once Upon a Time Challenge:

6. The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
7. The Book without Words by Avi
8. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
9. Ragweed by Avi
10. Poppy by Avi
11. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins
12. Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep by Liz Kessler
13. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver
14. The Chronicles of Prydain: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
15. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The Black Gryphon (book review)

The Black Gryphon is a fantasy by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. It was about the mythical creature the gryphon. In the story, there is a war going on between two mages, Ma'ar and Urtho. One of the war's greatest heroes is the Black Gryphon, Skandranon Rashkae. But when Skan is sent on a mission and doesn't return, his closest friend Amberdrake, a Healer from the Kaled'a'in people, starts worrying. Skan is always home on time. Is it the end of the Black Gryphon?

I believe the book could use more action, but overall it was a good fantasy. Someday I might read the next book in the series, The White Gryphon, but there are other books that I'm definitely planning to read first.

I give this book 7 out of 10 stars.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge: one book down, four to go.

Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge

The Once Upon a Time Challenge...the perfect challenge for Miss Annie! Big-time fan of the fantasy genre! And she's promised to post reviews here of all the books from her list.




Annie's list:
1. The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (library book)
2. The Lord of the Rings-Part Two-The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Lord of the Rings-Part Three-The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Septimus Heap-Book One-Magyk by Angie Sage
5. Children of the Lamp by P.B. Kerr