Floors by Patrick Carman is a novel for children about the adventures of a boy living and working in the most unusual hotel you could ever hope to visit. I would love a chance to explore the wondrous hotel that Carman has created, and look forward to any sequels so that I can return to young Leo's world. Leo and his father like in the basement of the Whippet Hotel, and know most of its secrets. Hidden rooms, special elevators, strange staff, stranger guests, very unusual rooms and ducks living on the roof are all normal at the Whippet Hotel. When the creator of the hotel, Merganzer Whippet, goes missing strange things begin to happen. Leo and the new door boy, the excitable Remi, follow the clues that seem to have been left behind by Merganzer. They journey through hidden floors and solve mysteries with the help of a duck and robot. Leo needs to solve the mysteries Merganzer Left behind to save the hotel, his friendships, and his future.
I highly recommend Floors to readers age eight and up. Fans of books by Roald Dahl and Louis Sacher will find extra joy in reading this book, and the series that promises to follow. There is no violence or terrifying moments to bother readers that are younger than eight but that have the reading ability to enjoy the story, while the adventure and mystery in Carman's writing can keep even adult readers enthralled. I look forward to discovering more hidden areas of the Whippet Hotel along with Leo and Remi in the future, and would not be surprised to see this book become classic must read along side works by Dahl and C.S. Lewis.
Early Book Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom
Ditched by Robin Mellom is a young adult novel scheduled for release on January 10 2012. The story opens with high school senior Justina Griffith waking up in a ditch and struggling to remember just how she came to be there in a iridescent blue gown and matching footwear. When she notices the stains on her gown, and remembers how her prom night began, she is not quite sure she wants to remember the events that led to her situation. She stumbles to the closest store, a 7-Eleven, and begins to put the night together. Was her best friend and dream date really the great guy she thought he was or was he scum? Ian had left her at the prom, and she has not been able to catch up with him since. She has encountered some unexpected friendships, strange situations, and unmitigated disaster in her misguided attempts to have a perfect night. Did she deserve to land in the ditch because of her choices and actions or could everything be salvaged in the end when all the pieces of the night come together?
See my complete review here on Yahoo! Voices.
See my complete review here on Yahoo! Voices.
Early Book Review: The Last Slayer by Nadia Lee
The Last Slayerby Nadia Lee is an urban fantasy novel released on December 26 2011. The main character is Ashera del Cid, a talented hunter of demons that struggles to destroy as many incubi and succubae as she can. She works for with her foster family, and accepts her less than stunning good looks and life without blood relations in stride, especially since her foster family has treated her so well. When she is placed on dangerous duty, she kills a dragon in self defense and thinks that she has angered the dragonlords and set them to hunt her. Little does she know that they have been looking to kill her since the day she was born. Ashera's has one potential champion is Ramiel, a supernatural that defies category until he reveals it to her. However, intentions and motivations are in question and Ashera doubts just about everything she is told, including the identity of her mother and her bloodline. Ramiel always seems to be hiding something, which make trust and moving forward towards her future even harder of Ashera.
The Last Slayer is a good urban fantasy novel, which begins a new series. I did feel a little tossed into the world, like I should have known more about hunters, slayers, dragonlords, and the general landscape of the world already. Perhaps I missed a related book or series along the way. However, I was not completely lost and found my way into the world fairly easily. Ashera starts out as a champion hunter, a loner that wants to do her job in such a way that eliminates the risk of others getting hurt. I liked this, and her take charge attitude. However, she becomes a lot softer and more passive as the conflicts arose and Ramiel took charge. It worked with in the story, but I wanted to see more of Ashera kicking butt and less about the time she took bathing and picking out clothes.
The story was good, and if I see the next book in the series I might pick it up however I will not be hunting it down or anxiously awaiting its arrival. I finished the book less invested in the characters than I was in the first few chapters, which is a shame since I liked Ashera and the set up for her foster sister Valerie and foster father Jack, both of whom I would like to see more about.
The Last Slayer is a good urban fantasy novel, which begins a new series. I did feel a little tossed into the world, like I should have known more about hunters, slayers, dragonlords, and the general landscape of the world already. Perhaps I missed a related book or series along the way. However, I was not completely lost and found my way into the world fairly easily. Ashera starts out as a champion hunter, a loner that wants to do her job in such a way that eliminates the risk of others getting hurt. I liked this, and her take charge attitude. However, she becomes a lot softer and more passive as the conflicts arose and Ramiel took charge. It worked with in the story, but I wanted to see more of Ashera kicking butt and less about the time she took bathing and picking out clothes.
The story was good, and if I see the next book in the series I might pick it up however I will not be hunting it down or anxiously awaiting its arrival. I finished the book less invested in the characters than I was in the first few chapters, which is a shame since I liked Ashera and the set up for her foster sister Valerie and foster father Jack, both of whom I would like to see more about.
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