The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

 

Goodreads synopsis: The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King.

My rating: 4 stars.

Content warnings: PG-13. Fantasy violence throughout.

Thoughts: I didn't notice in the first book, but I noticed here how terrible Tolkien is at dialogue tags. Every line it's "he said" "he said" "he said" and that gets old after a while. But it also got amusing and I started ignoring them entirely after a while. Which might have been a detriment, but I'm pretty sure I always knew who was talking. Other than that it's another fun fantasy story that picks up right where the first left off. It is kind of obvious that it was written as one book, because the beginning of this book and the end of it aren't really good story containers, but it makes sense knowing that's just how Tolkien wrote it, and it was the publisher who cut it up. And the description of Shelob makes me sad, but I much prefer depictions of spiders like Charlotte in my books. That's just personal though. I had a lot of fun reading this one, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion. 

Wickers Bog by Mike Duran

 

Goodreads synopsis: Every autumn, when the weather turned and the wind came off the marsh, the dark waters of Wickers Bog gave up its ghosts and reawakened the old yarns.

Julene Ella Haddan is about to be drawn into one of them.

It was a grey, joyless day, when young Julene heard the song of the siren and followed its melody into the enchanted swamp... a journey which led her into a tale of murder and deceit. It's only the fated who hear the siren. Yet Julene's fate now seems bound to the fabled Lady of Lisenby, the spectral gatekeeper of the Bog, queen of the haunted deep. However, is it justice the Lady seeks or is Julene the siren's next victim?

Myth and mystery collide in this tale of Southern Gothic horror.

My rating: 2 stars.

Content warnings: PG-13. Brief description of a decomposing body.

Thoughts: I do think the story had a solid idea behind it, and it held a very interesting plot and characters, and overall it could have been a very lovely, very fascinating story. The problem is, it was less than 60 pages long. I would have been very happy if this book was five times that long. At the length that it was, there was not enough time for any of the concepts within the book to develop, and in the end it felt like reading a long form outline of a story, rather than a story itself. I love the atmosphere, and the concepts, and the aesthetic of it all. But to actually have been gripping as a story, this book needed a lot more length and breadth to its scope, and much more development within the book as a whole in order to tell this tale slowly, as I think it deserved to be told.

The Executioner's Daughter by Laura Williams

 

Goodreads synopsis: Born into the family of an executioner, Lily has always been sheltered by her mother from the horrors of her father's occupation. While her mother assists her father in all his daily duties, Lily spends her time caring for her animals, collecting herbs, and playing alone in the forest. But when her ailing mother takes a turn for the worse, Lily is suddenly thrust into the paralyzing role of executioner's assistant.

Aside from preparing healing concoctions for the suffering and maimed, Lily must now accompany her father at the town executions, something she has never done before. Though she loves her father, the emotional burden of his disturbing profession is just too much for her to bear. Lily must find a way to change her destiny, no matter the consequences.

Set in medieval England, this well-researched and beautifully written novel tells the story of one girl's fight to rise above her fate.

My rating: 2 stars.

Content warnings: PG-13. A description of a beheading.

Thoughts: I wanted to like this book. The description was fascinating, and it sounded like it could be a really neat story with a lot of emotional depth and resonance. The problem was, how short the book really was. I think the author had a cool idea, and did a good amount of research as well to make the world and history seem real. But by targeting this book, presumably toward a younger audience, the book got kneecapped into something less than impressive. It was short, and there was barely enough time to really start to get into what was going on, before it was over. I just wanted so much more from this book. So much more richness and depth I think the author could have given had the target audience been a bit older, and the book been given more length to develop and grow. The idea was lovely, but I feel like very little actually happened, and none of it was particularly meaningful, so the entire thing fell flat. And that makes me sad.

A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

Goodreads synopsis: How would you live if you knew the day you'd die?
Parvin Blackwater has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside.

In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the crooked justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence.

What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out.

My rating: 3 stars.

Content warnings: PG-13. Some violence and blood.

Thoughts: This was a reread of this book, so my thoughts may be slightly colored by that, and I do think that without knowing where the rest of the series goes, I might have rated this book a bit higher. That's the context of this.

It is a solid book, with a really interesting premise, some fantastic characters, and a generally sturdy plot. It's mostly well written, there are a few aspects that bugged me in some way, but overall I enjoyed reading it even a second time. I would honestly say this book is a good book, and suggest it to people who might be interested in a fascinating dystopian world.

What I can't do, unfortunately, is recommend the books that follow, and that sours my enjoyment and appreciation for this book just a bit.

(spoilers for the entire Out of Time series)

It became obvious to me in rereading this that Brandes did plan for Parvin to end up with Jude's brother the whole time. But the way she tried to set that up, and the way she (Parvin or Brandes, I can't honestly tell) treated Jude throughout the story made me so much more bitter about Parvin as a character, the direction the stories took in general, and the "romance" of the books in particular. I don't know why it was a good idea, but it bothers me quite a lot, and I can't get over how nasty, cruel, and downright creepy the whole thing becomes in the end.

Additionally, it makes me sad how this book had such a solid, tight plot throughout, only to have... very little plot in the next two books. Ten chapters of this book cover more ground plot wise than the next two books combined, at least in what's shown on page. It's sad to me, and really disappointing because Brandes is a very talented author, but it just doesn't show in the next two books.

Overall I do still have a lot of appreciation for A Time to Die, but the frustration I have with Speak and Rise makes me unable to hold it quite as highly as I otherwise might have.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

Goodreads synopsis: THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIME

The dark, fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for a hobbit. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore - the Ring of Power that would enable evil Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it is up to Frodo and his faithful servant, Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed - Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom.

My rating: 4 stars.

Content warnings: PG. Some fantasy violence.

Thoughts: There's a reason these books are such a classic. The worldbuilding is impeccable, the characters are fantastic, and the action is incredible. When it finally starts. But even just the world of the hobbits and the elves is fun to crawl inside of and live around in for a while. The first one is a slow book, but it's soft and cozy and definitely enjoyable to read.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 

Goodreads synopsis: In a society that allows no more than two children per family under penalty of death, third children are forced into hiding, or to live with false identity papers. In Among the Impostors, Nina Idi was arrested for treason for supposedly trying to trick the Population Police into arresting other students she said were illegal third children. Now she faces torture or death -- unless she agrees to betray three other imprisoned third children. Her dilemma intensifies when she meets the prisoners -- who are only ten, nine, and six.

As she did so brilliantly in the Publishers Weekly best-selling Among the Hidden and in Among the Impostors, Margaret Peterson Haddix once again brings readers to a world in which nothing is as it seems -- a world in which an imprisonment leads to an adventure of mind, body, and spirit.

My rating: 3 stars.

Content warnings: PG. Some fear and mentions of excrement. 

Thoughts: Not my favorite of the Shadow Children books so far, but definitely a good book. I would have liked it more if Nina hadn't actually been innocent in the beginning, but I'll take what I can get. It's still a lovely story, and I think it will prove to be a really good choice for Haddix to focus on other third children throughout the series. This one was quick to read, and not quite as deeply touching as the first two, but I'm looking forward to the next one, so it did its job well.