The Dark Legacy of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks

Last September I reviewed the first book in The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy, Wards of Faerie, by Terry Brooks. After waiting for the next book, Bloodfire Quest, to be released I realized I was going to want to read the books back to back as each moves directly into the next. When I was offered an advance copy of the final book, Witch Wraith, through the Amazon Vine program I accepted it and returned to the beginning of the series. This was definitely the way to read this trilogy as I felt like I was reading one complete story rather than three separate books.

I enjoyed Wards of Faerie as it was a great beginning to a trilogy. It offered hope of a new story for Shannara and I wondered how the characters would undertake the quest placed before them. My only complaint was the abrupt ending and this was why I chose to re-start the series when the final book came out. Read my complete review of Wards of Faerie.

I did not write a separate review for Bloodfire Quest because I knew I would be following it immediately with Witch Wraith and I wanted to see if my initial reaction to the book would change at all once I finished the series. Unfortunately, it did not. Bloodfire Quest is truly the middle of the story when all the characters are scattered on their separate quests and face their own challenges. While the book took the characters to the places they needed to be both physically and emotionally to conclude the story in Witch Wraith it seemed that nothing was resolved in this book. While I fully expected the main story lines to weave through the trilogy, Brooks usually has some smaller side story that can be completed within each book. In fact the initial quest from Wards of Faerie has been completely abandoned by this book.

Witch Wraith (releasing July 16, 2013) provides the conclusion to the trilogy and all of the quests undertaken by the various characters. Although groups separated in Bloodfire Quest, the main characters (well, the ones still alive) come back together for the final battle. I enjoyed the majority of this book as Brooks pushes the characters to their breaking points and gives them difficult choices to make. The action and danger are non-stop as characters proceed with stubborn determination down paths that they are warned against. Witch Wraith was fantastic until I hit the final three chapters. It is difficult to review this book without giving away the ending so I will simply say that I found it frustrating and I am unsure how events from these chapters will influence future Shannara books.

While there were parts of The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy that I enjoyed, this is certainly not my favorite set of Shannara books. Although Brooks was able to provide some twists, many of the quest elements felt familiar from previous stories and I personally felt unsatisfied with the ending to the trilogy as a whole.

Purchase books by Terry Brooks on Amazon

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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• Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks (Review)
• Review~ Witch Wraith by Terry Brooks
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Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney

Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney is the first book in the Relic Seekers series. I chose this book as my selection from the Amazon Vine program based on the description of "Indiana Jones meets Stephanie Plum." Unfortunately, I failed to notice that the book falls into the Romance category as this is a genre I don't typically read. Now that I have that little bit of a disclaimer out of the way lets get on to the review.

Kendall Morgan has the gift of visions that allow her to track down ancient objects. After the death of her archeologist father and her best friend in a plane crash, Kendall uses her gift to keep these treasures safe. This unusual talent brings her to the attention of Nathan Larraby, a wealthy collector who hires her to locate various artifacts. Nathan sends Kendall on a treasure hunt to Italy with Jake Stone to protect her. The item they seek is powerful and their lives are in danger as others try to obtain the relic before them.

When I started Guardians of Stone I was afraid I wasn't going to make it past the first chapter. Kendall's first thoughts of men are sexual. Jake sees Kendall as a sexual object the first time he meets her. The sexual tension is insanely thick every time Kendall, Jake, and Nathan are in a room together. Initially the characters make no attempt to get to know each other, only judging each other on physical appearance and their own desires. I am not a romance reader so I'm not sure if this is how most romance books go but some of the sexual thoughts seemed forced and clumsy to me.

Once I got past the initial character and plot introduction and the action started I enjoyed the book much more. The story is compelling and fast paced when the author doesn't break for more sexual innuendo. All three of the main characters are clearly holding secrets tightly. Some of the minor characters seem to know more about the main events than they are letting on as well. I want to get to know these characters and discover what they are hiding and how it impacts their relationships. If that is to happen though, Clenney is going to have to go deeper into the character development in future books. Guardians of Stone was fairly superficial in terms of getting to know the characters beyond their physical desires for one another. There were a few times when I just wanted someone to have sex with Kendall already so I could move past that element of the story and get caught up in the adventure again.

Will I be reading the next book in the series? Almost definitely. I want to get to know these characters and have more adventures with them. I want to know their secrets and what the future holds. Whether I continue reading beyond the next book of the series will probably depend on if the sexual aspects of the relationships continue to overshadow what could be a very powerful storyline.

Purchase Guardians of Stone from Amazon: eBook or Paperback

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Amazon and Book Depository links are affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

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• Feature book: Guardians of Stone

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman

Title: Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes
Author: Betsy Woodman
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Series: 1st book, not sure of the series title
Source: Amazon Vine (ARC)

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is the first in a series about a Scottish lady living in India in the 1960s. Janet Laird, aka Jana Bibi, is a Scot by nationality but grew up in India and has Indian citizenship. She inherits a property from her grandfather and moves to a charming Indian village despite the protestations of her son, Jack, who lives in Scotland and wants her to move there. Jana, her housekeeper, Mary, and the parrot, Mr. Ganguly, soon discover that the town is in danger of being destroyed in favor of a dam built by the government. Can they work together with their neighbors to put the town of Hamara Nagar on the map as a tourist destination to prevent its demise?

Betsy Woodman draws upon her unique childhood experience growing up in India for her debut novel. She has introduced the reader to an interesting cast of characters and painted the scene for future stories set in Hamara Nagar. It takes a bit for the story in Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes to really start moving and I was beginning to wonder when the fortune telling part would actually come into play. Once the characters are introduced, however, and their roles are fairly firmly established the actual plot line of the book does begin to move.

I found that Betsy Woodman's writing reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith both in the way that their stories are set in foreign lands and also the pace of their novels. Both authors include many local phrases and foreign words while including so many details about the setting and time period that you are really transported to that place. I always preferred McCall Smith's books on audio so I could hear the unfamiliar words being pronounced. I think Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes would be a fantastic audiobook as well, with the right narrator.

Overall, I found Jana Bibi and the rest of the characters to be charming. This was a nice, light summer read that was easy to pick up and put down as time allowed. I'm looking forward to more stories about these characters in Hamara Nagar and wonder what their futures hold.



    Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Yes! Energy by Loral Langemeier

Title: Yes! Energy The Equation to Do Less, Make More
Author: Loral Langemeier
Publication Date:  February 2012
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Source: Amazon Vine
Website: www.yesenergybook.com 

Loral Langemeier is best known as a financial expert. She created her own multimillion-dollar company, Live Out Loud, Inc, and teaches others to create wealth through her books and workshops. In Yes! Energy: The Equation to Do Less, Make More , Langemeier focuses on the process of creating the energy and forward movement that allows her to accomplish so much without working harder or longer. She formats this process as an actual mathematical looking equation though there is actually no math involved. Langemeier admits that she and her friend used to call this energy "the gift" when they noticed people who just seemed to have the confidence to move forward with ease into any project. Now she claims that everyone can develop this "gift" which is simply a new way of generating energy and moving into a new conversation.

While the book says this Yes! Energy can be applied to all areas of life in order to Do Less and Have More, Langemeier's examples do tend to focus on wealth and business examples because that is her area of expertise. She frequently references being the CEO of your own life which does sound pretty appealing. At least I think it will sound appealing to most people until they realize it means actually taking total responsibility for their lives and their decisions instead of being able to make excuses and place blame for their circumstances on other people and events. Being the CEO of one's own life means having the drive to go after what you truly want in life instead of just being along for the ride. Langemeier gives you the choice to play big or play small with your life but she clearly believes big is the way to go if you want to have what you want out of life and enjoy the process of getting it.

Langemeier's energy equation results in Extreme Optimism and Energy which spills into all areas of life. Her process includes changing the conversation, faith, certainty, confidence, dreams, gifts, team, and sequencing. The book goes through the energy equation step by step with sections focusing on each of the aspects of the equation. The book is well organized and breaks down the equation into easily digestible sections. Langemeier provides specific examples in each section of how she has applied this aspect of the equation to her own life or instances when she didn't follow through and things got off track. I love that she included these 'negative' examples as well because it shows that there are road blocks along the way and that even someone using this process who seems to have it all together does hit snags along the way. The trick, as Langemeier shows, is to adjust and keep moving forward instead of letting these bumps derail the entire project.

The book is well formatted with good use of bold headers, text boxes, and lists. Each section ends with some thought exercises to help the reader process the information and see how it is relevant to their own life. Langemeier also provides ideas for next steps to take to move forward in creating forward movement in life.

Overall, Yes! Energy is an interesting look at how we can change our thinking and make better use of our skills to make a better life but I don't know that it is realistic to say that everyone can use this process to create a wealth building business. I think that takes an initial effort and drive that many people simply aren't willing to expend and many people would rather make excuses than be fully responsible for their own lives.


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

OTL: Graco RoomFor2 Stand & Ride Stroller

My three year old, Elizabeth, is a walker. We rented a stroller when we went to Disney World last fall thinking that she might need to take a break from walking because it is such a large place but we barely used it. Now that Victoria is here though and she rides in the stroller, Elizabeth is wanting to ride in the stroller again too. So I was completely thrilled to receive a Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Stroller, Metropolis from the Amazon Vine program for the purpose of providing an honest review.

I really wanted to love this stroller and was a little disappointed withe the number of little things that I don't like about it. None of them are major but when added all together I can see how much better the stroller could have been.

Pros:

• This easily holds both my daughters. My three year old loves that she can sit or stand and thinks getting to ride in the stroller with her little sister is a lot of fun.
• The stroller collapses easily and is just as small as our single travel stroller when collapsed.
• The stroller is light enough to move easily when collapsed.
• The stroller steers easily even with both kids in there.
• There are lots of cup holders and places for snacks.
• The basket underneath is a good size.

Cons:

• My husband said the instructions for putting the stroller together were not great and when he pushed down (as instructed) to attach the foot rest one of the clips to hold it on broke easily.
• The stroller fully collapses to the ground which means you have to pick it up to move it which is not easy when holding on to the younger child. (My other stroller collapses to a standing position and can then be moved on the rear wheels.)
• When the front seat is in the reclined position, my three year old really needs to stand to have enough room. If she wants to sit, she ends up leaning forward because the other seat is in her back.
• The five-point harness for the front seat is not easy to use - pieces are all separate and must be fitted and held together while trying to buckle the child in.
• The sun/rain cover for the front seat is stiff and not easy to adjust.
• The way the seats are positioned makes it difficult to get anything large into the bottom basket even though the basket is large enough to hold it. I'm not sure I could fit our diaper bag in there.
• The rear wheels have separate brakes so you have to push on each of them.
• The child in back can also easily reach the brakes with their feet and push on the while you are moving. (I have no idea how this one could be avoided though!)

Right now this stroller doesn't work for us because the infant car seat we have is a different brand and does not attach to this stroller. I think we will definitely be using this stroller when we go places outdoors that require a lot of walking when Victoria can sit up in the front seat on her own. The Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Stroller, Metropolis is a good stroller that could have been made even better with a few small adjustments.

Do you have a double stroller for your kids? What do you like and dislike about it?

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.