Friday Feature: The Inheritance

Friday Feature is where we share books we love that have been out for several years. We don't want these treasures to get lost just because they aren't babies anymore!

The Inheritance

by Louisa May Alcott

Paperback, 192 pages

Published June 1st 1998 by Penguin Books

Generations of fans have longed to plumb that first romance, hinted at so captivatingly on the pages of Little Women, Alcott's autobiographical classic. Now after nearly one hundred fifty years spent among archived family documents, Louisa May Alcott's debut novel finally reaches its eager public.
Set in an English country manor, the story follows the turbulent fortunes of Edith Adelon, an impoverished Italian orphan whose loyalty and beauty win her the patronage of wealthy friends until a jealous rival contrives to rob her of her position. In the locket around her neck, she carries a deep secret about her natural birthright. But an even greater truth lies hidden in Edith's heart - her deep reverence for the kind and noble Lord Percy, the only friend who can save her from the deceitful, envious machinations of Lady Ida.
Reminiscent of Jane Austen in its charms, this chaste but stirringly passionate novel affirms the conquering power of both love and courtesy. For the generations who grew up alongside Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, a rich literary inheritance is restored at last.

***

This is one of my favorite books!  It is Louisa May Alcott's first novel, written when she was 17 years old.  The story was unpublished when the handwritten manuscript was found in the the historical files at Harvard University in the '90's.  The story is wonderful!  It's reminiscent of Jane Austin yet clearly shows the beginning of Alcott's own writing style.  I  love how Edith stands by her adopted family and her values when it matters most.  I have read this book more times than I can count and listened to the book on tape quite a few times too.  I never get tired of this one!

5/5 stars

Revenge of the Castle Cats

Revenge of the Castle Cats (The Grimm Chronicles, #3)
by Isabella Fontaine & Ken Brosky

This book was provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review.

After being rushed to the hospital, Alice Goodenough finds herself trapped in the worst dream imaginable: a horrible monster is stalking her in the darkness, making its way to the hospital. It will stop at nothing to kill her.

And that’s not the worst of it. All across the city, people are growing more addicted to Castle Cats, a smartphone game created by Grayle Incorporated. And it’s not just a game. The more you play, the more it controls you. Soon, Alice learns that the dwarfs who run Grayle Incorporated are watching her everywhere she goes, using human beings to spy on her.

There must be a confrontation. Sam Grayle and his brothers have to be stopped. And Alice is going to need help. 

* * *

This is the third installment of the episodic story of Alice Goodenough. She's a hero, chosen to fight the twisted fairytale characters brought to life by the Brothers Grimm.

All of these books have been fun -- a great mix of hilarity and action.

This particular part of Alice's story expands on a game that appeared in an earlier book: Castle Cats. The game is addicting, and there's a secret little something hidden within the game code.

I highly recommend this series. The stories are fast reads, and very entertaining!

4/5 stars

Beatifully Broken

Beautifully Broken (Spellbound Series, #1)
by Sherry Soule

Published August 30, 2011

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Thirteenth daughter. Heritage witch. Demon slayer.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse…

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him.

Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith, and then frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

* * *

This was an interesting, fast-paced story, complete with mystery, romance, and a haunted house. A little creepiness? From the first scene.

I love the cover. The house is perfect. I can't say the picture of Shiloh is my favorite part, but I can get past that.

One thing about the book bothered me. It shouldn't have, but it really did. Shiloh is so obsessed with Trent, and goes all moony over him. Yes, I get it, she's a teenager. Love is end-of-the-world, life-or-death stuff for teenagers. I just wish she could have been stronger for herself. I think she would have made a bigger impact.

On the whole, however, this book is well done. It has one of the best things I can say about a book: the ability to really stick with you.

4/5 stars

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Katya's World

Katya's World (Katya Kuriakova, #1)
by Jonathan L. Howard

339 Pages
Published November 6, 2012

This is a pre-release review. Thanks to the publisher, Strange Chemistry, for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The distant and unloved colony world of Russalka has no land, only the raging sea. No clear skies, only the endless storm clouds. Beneath the waves, the people live in pressurised environments and take what they need from the boundless ocean. It is a hard life, but it is theirs and they fought a war against Earth to protect it. But wars leave wounds that never quite heal, and secrets that never quite lie silent.

Katya Kuriakova doesn’t care much about ancient history like that, though. She is making her first submarine voyage as crew; the first nice, simple journey of what she expects to be a nice, simple career.

There is nothing nice and simple about the deep black waters of Russalka, however; soon she will encounter pirates and war criminals, see death and tragedy at first hand, and realise that her world’s future lies on the narrowest of knife edges. For in the crushing depths lies a sleeping monster, an abomination of unknown origin, and when it wakes, it will seek out and kill every single person on the planet.

* * *

Complete honesty: This is one of those books that I finished, put aside, picked back up, thumbed through again, and just could NOT stop thinking about. Oh, and I absolutely love the cover.

When I was reading it, I was completely engrossed, and cringed when I had to put the book down to do something "real". The story is very well-spun, and the characters are very real. I love the idea of this ocean world, and the war they fought with Earth to keep their freedom. Don't worry, all that was before the book starts, so it doesn't count as a spoiler! :)

There's a richness to this book, a depth to everything there. There's so much for the author to draw on in future installments.

As this is a YA book, I want to say one thing. The author was very brave to NOT have a romance. Most of the YA books I've come across have some sort of romance going on. This book is meaty with a number of different types of relationships, and they are all done extremely well.

I can't wait to see what happens in book 2.

5/5 stars

Poltergeeks

Poltergeeks
by Sean Cummings

288 pages
Published October 2012

This is a pre-release review. Thanks to the publisher, Strange Chemistry, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book early!

15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

* * *

This is my first experience reading a book by Mr. Cummings, and I'm beyond thrilled by it.


A fantastic opening, I have to say. It drew me right in. (After all, a poltergeist kicking a person out of their home doesn't happen every day!) I absolutely had to find out what happened next. What happened was that I held onto the book a little tighter and refused to put it down. This book has a place on my small list of single-sitting reads.


I'm in love with the characters. Julie is phenomenal, and you seriously care what happens to her. And Marcus? Well, let me just say that it's clear from the start that he's interested in Julie, and that he'll be there for her even if she has no clue (or doesn't feel the same). Julie's mother, while a key element of the book, is a background character for much of the story, but that didn't stop Cummings from making her a great character.


The conflict could have been made melodramatic, but it was handled so well that I never got that "overdone" feeling.


An absolute MUST read! Mr. Cummings, once on your reader radar, should never be removed. I can't wait for the next installment.


5/5 stars

Ruby

Ruby (Ruby, #1)
by Amanda Burke

174 pages
Published June 29, 2012

During the Salem witch hunts, an evil witch named Natasha Sullivan tricks a demon into confining himself inside an enchanted music box. She casts a spell that foretells that the demon will emerge in an unknown time in future after the birth of a child known as the Lumen Child. This child’s destiny is to bring light to the planet and Natasha knows that if he is killed then darkness will prevail. Natasha’s identical twin Sarah, discovers what her sister has done. Although she cannot break the spell she casts her own prophecy. It states that three witches known as the Triple Enchantresses will be born in the same time as the Lumen Child and they will be his supernatural protectors. The girls are not sisters, yet they will share a common destiny. Ruby is the story of the first witch and how she very nearly dies before discovering her true identity. Having grown up unaware of her powers, she is rescued by her loving grandmother who is also a white witch and taken back to the family estate where she learns everything she can about what her future holds. Ruby is the first in a four book series.

* * *

When the author approached me with her review request, I was instantly interested. Witches? Makes me smile. Salem? Absolutely.

The premise and plot of this book are good. There could be more character development, though. There were times when I really wanted to care, but the action seemed to be a little in the abstract. Honestly, that's okay, the story still worked. I just felt that it was easy to set the book down.

I do like the whole idea, and I'm interested to see where Ms. Burke takes this.

My one big complaint was the ending. So, if you don't want hints on that, skip this paragraph. The last scene felt unrealistic, and overly-contrived. Of course, everything in every book is contrived. But this felt obvious. The romance Ruby wants seems out of her grasp, and all of a sudden he says "I love you, baby." Um, hello? Maybe it was just a bit rushed, but it felt all melty-cheese to me. Then again, maybe that's what the author was going for.

However, I still want to know what happens next, so over-all, not a big problem.

3.5/5 stars

Dragon Castle

Dragon Castle
by Joseph Bruchac

352 pages
Published June 9, 2011

Young Prince Rashko is frustrated with his family - no one does any thinking but him! The kingdom and castle seem to be in the hands of fools. So when Rashko's parents mysteriously disappear and the evil Baron Temny parks his army outside the castle walls, it is up to the young prince to save the day. But there is more to this castle and its history than meets the eye, and Rashko will have to embrace his ancestry, harness a dragon, and use his sword-fighting skills to stop the baron and save the kingdom. Along the way, he realizes that his family is not quite as stupid as he always thought.

Master storyteller Joseph Bruchac, known for his smart, gripping Native American books, here combines his signature action and adventure with a large dose of humor, which just brings this story to a whole new level.

* * *

Just from the title, I had high expectations of this book. Some of them were met, others were not.

First, I have to say, I expected there to be more of the dragon than there was. I hoped to see lots of it, instead of just a little bit near the end. Also, the alternating story lines got to me just a bit. Yes, I enjoyed each of them, but for every single chapter to switch! I felt like I was just getting into one story when I was ripped out of it and flung into the other.

However, Rashko was a good character. I loved the way he thought his parents and brother were fools, when anyone apart from himself could tell they just handled things differently. I loved the little story of the way the king handled a merchant who was overcharging the people.

I loved the setting, and the idea of a castle growing right out of the rocks.

3/5 stars