Icon of Earth | Demethius Jackson

*I received this book as a Kickstarter prize.

Summary:

This book picks up immediately where Hero of Legend left off. King Maebus is mortally wounded and it is up to Kelm to save him. Fable sets him, Normandy and Leoden on the path to Warlord Damian's fortress to find The Icon of Earth, known in legend for its healing powers. Meanwhile, Empress Saraya has taken over The Realm, looking for a temporary home for her nomadic kingdom. Unfortunately, the sun is dying, putting a wrench in her plans and adding urgency to Kelm's. 

Review:

I don't hide the fact that I love this world. I even bought a copy of Candle of Crest, written entirely in verse form.* I was more than happy to participate in the Kickstarter campaign to get Icon of Earth published. I have to say, though, the book I received, is worth so much more than I donated. 

Icon of Earth loses nothing from the first book that made me love the world. It's fast-paced without plot holes, incorporates world building with the action of the story, and has strong characters that show their character without exposition dumps. Yes, this book has a couple almost-romances but one is vital to the story and the other takes a back seat to the vital elements. 

The overall feel of this book is so positive. This is a great read for people who are tired of the idea that a "good" book has to be sad and hopeless the whole way through. Yes, Kelm occasionally wishes to give up, but as this book points out, with the right circle of supportive people, you can survive anything. And if you always look to the past, you'll never be able to see how great the future can be. 

This book was such a joy to read. I highly encourage anyone who has any interest in the fantasy genre to pick up this series. Jackson is a talented writer and I look forward to him keeping his promise:

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

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*Please see my review over on Blogger's Bookshelf. 

Tongue Twisters for Girls | Honeysuckle Hale & Aline Jorge | Mini-Review

*Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Mini-Review:

This quick, little book was fun to read. I don't often read out loud, but these are tongue twisters and, therefore, are required to spoken. Otherwise where's the fun? Some of the longer lines really did mess me up and make me laugh. The drawings are very whimsical and cute. This is certainly a good book for  kids or for a quick distraction. The tongue twisters could also be good for vocal practices. 4 hoots!

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The Aliens Are Coming! | Ben Miller

*Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

In this book, Ben Miller looks at the search for extra-terrestrial life through a scientific lens. By breaking down the Drake Equation and examining all the requirements of it from a physical, biological, geological, mathematical and even linguistic perspective, Miller gives us a realistic picture of the likelihood of communicating with aliens. At the same time, he uses terrestrial examples to show areas we still need more information on. 

Review:

If you enjoy science, this is actually a good book for you. There is little conspiracy theory and hypothetical talk and a significant amount of science. Admittedly, I struggled through the biology of evolution section (used to give a time template for how long it may take life on other planets to become complex) but the rest of the book was an engaging, intelligent read. Miller's humor also helped to balance out some of the drier parts.

I greatly appreciated that this search for extra-terrestrials reminded the reader that there are plenty of things we can learn from our own world to aid our search. The convergent evolution that leads to platypi. The translation of dolphin language. The ripple effects in our understanding of the world from each discovery we make about it. 

There were so many parts of this book that led me to eagerly do some quick Google searches to get a better understanding. This is something that I think all good science books should do. They should light a fire of curiosity in the reader, a need for more information. I happily give 4 hoots!

                                                   Hoot! Hoot!

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Sword of Deaths | Christopher Mannino

*This book was free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

In book two of The Scythe Wielder's Secret series Susan's adventures continue through the new school year. Unfortunately, joining the Boskery team isn't the biggest challenge she has to face. The dragons have begun attacking ships carrying mortamant, the vital material used to create scythes, disrupting the Deaths ability to do their job.

Review:

What engaged me about the first book was the potential the world held. I expressed a desire to learn more about the world of Deaths. Mannino has more than given me what I asked for! This book has new locations to read about, more history about the 'Mentals and actual interactions and history of the dragons!

Of course, in a book about the only female death, there are romantic considerations. Fortunately for the readers more interested in the goings on in the world, this is taken care of relatively quickly and then takes a backseat to the more important aspects of the story; the mortament shortage and the impending war with the dragons.

What was really fun for me was that I did not see the plot twist coming. Yet, upon reviewing the story, all the clues were there! This does not often happen to me. Usually I'm really good at picking up on what's going on. But I missed this!

This was a wonderful continuation of the series. I read it in just a few days because it's fully engaging. The world is immersive and there's so much to it. 4.5 hoots!

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

                      Hoo