Exam Center Finds: Caster by Elsie Chapman

Caster

Author:
Elsie Chapman

Publisher:
Scholastic Press

Date of Pub:
Sept 3, 2019

Source:
found at the local library in the red exam center for reviews.
hardcover; 336 pages

Genre:
urban fantasy, magic, YA


Synopsis:

Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Fight Club in this action-packed fantasy about a secret, underground magic fighting tournament.
If the magic doesn't kill her, the truth just might.



Aza Wu knows that real magic is dangerous and illegal. After all, casting killed her sister, Shire. As with all magic, everything comes at a price. For Aza, it feels like everything in her life has some kind of cost attached to it. Her sister had been casting for money to pay off Saint Willow, the gang leader that oversees her sector of Lotusland. If you want to operate a business there, you have to pay your tribute. And now with Shire dead, Aza must step in to save the legacy of Wu Teas, the teahouse that has been in her family for centuries.



When Aza comes across a secret invitation, she decides she doesn't have much else to lose. She quickly realizes that she's entered herself into an underground casting tournament, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Real magic, real consequences. As she competes, Aza fights for her life against some very strong and devious competitors.





When the facts about Shire's death don't add up, the police start to investigate. When the tributes to Saint Willow aren't paid, the gang comes to collect. When Aza is caught sneaking around with fresh casting wounds, her parents are alarmed. As Aza's dangerous web of lies continues to grow, she is caught between trying to find a way out and trapping herself permanently.




My Thoughts:

Dude!  Look at that cover, though!!?!?!  I love it!  I love it when covers can essentially give us everything we need to know about the book {although we don't know that until we read the book} and Caster does just this. 
Lotusland is a complicated land where full magic casters are shunned because of the damage they have caused to Earth.  They are illegal and hunted down by enforcers called Scouts. 
And Aza is just that -a full magic-user

The world-building in Caster is very descriptive.  As Chapman described each sector, all of your senses are used to imagine each Sector.  The tea sector, where Aza and her family reside, seemed to make crave all my favorite teas as I read the descriptions.  The spice sector made me hungry for curry and all my favorite spicy foods. 
I was thoroughly impressed with how our author could insert into the story with her use of storytelling.

I found myself relating to Aza in more ways the longer the story went on.  I understood her grief and felt her pain, trying to keep her family in their home and legacy.  Most of all, I mourned for her and the loneliness that she seemed to exude out to everyone.   I loved that Aza was a kick-ass heroine who knew she had flaws but also learned to adapt and learn from them. 

Aza was quick-witted and had loads of street smarts to get by with the gang that followed her around trying to collect " honor marks" in exchange for protection from them. 

The magical tournament makes me think of Mortal Kombat.  And of course, Fight Club as well.  But Mortal Kombat is what really popped in my head every night she fought in the different sections of the tournament.  

Caster is a wonderful read!!  You will be second guessing every clue you get and you will still be shocked a few times as well.  I freaking love that there isn't a love interest in this story.  It was refreshing to read a YA story that wasn't about falling in love and the plot following that arc of the story.  Not that I don't enjoy the YA romance; but I just really liked that Aza was the main focus of the story.   

Caster was a gritty fantasy about the magic that isn't all rainbows and wands.  It shows us that magic hurts.  It can be painful and it can destroy even when it is trying to save.  What a great way to incorporate how we treat the Earth now into a fantasy story with magic!!  I can't wait to read more from Elsie Chapman and I do believe we may see more of Aza and Lotusland.  

I can't wait!  

Rating:

Connect with Elsie Chapman:

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website|

Book Review: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

Title: Spellbinding
Author: Maya Gold
Publisher: Scholastic Inc. Point
Date of Publication: April 1, 2013
Source: Net Galley & publisher
Format: Kindle, paperback, 272 pages
Links to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 


Book Synopsis:

Salem is the bewitching backdrop to this lush, fast-paced tale of one girl discovering the source of her powers.
It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.
Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.

My Thoughts:

I really really love this cover!  I think the cover art is what grabbed my attention first before the synopsis did.  I love how the model's hair is free flowing wildly behind her with all the candles and all the blue.  Love it!
I really had high hopes for this novel because I really love reading about witches and the history of Salem and whatnot.  The description makes the book sound very powerful and Abby an interesting character.  


Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with her very much.  She had parts where I wanted to learn more about her and other parts where she just really bored me.   I also felt like the story played up to this extreme confrontation yet I didn't really feel that great about it.    I really didn't feel too many connections with any of the characters.  I did enjoy the job at the New Age shop and the owner.  I felt like she needed to be a more important part of the story because she was so informed on so much.  
There are some pretty funny parts though.  I really enjoyed the way Abby dealt with her dad having a girlfriend.  That was interesting  and definitely hot!  (Excuse the pun)  I could understand why she would be upset especially since it seemed that she was invisible when it came to her family.  

Other than that, I really could not get into this story.  I tried and tried, up to the very end, but I just felt like this story promised a lot and didn't execute at all.  Even now as I write this review, nothing really stands out for me that I have to tell you about.  It was just boring for me.  Abby seemed silly at times, other times she seemed lost.  I thought Remy would be more of a intrigue for me but he turned out to be just as flat.  

Now with that being said, Maya Gold is a good writer.  She has a talent that we can see, even in this story, it just needs to be developed a little more.  I love the idea about descendants of the accused witches of the Salem Witch Trials in modern settings.  Spellbinding just didn't do it for me.   But someone much younger than me could possibly get into this story more and maybe even connect with the characters a lot more too.  I think this story would be okay for someone in the late middle grades into high school too.  So maybe it is the age difference that caused me to lack the enthusiasm for the book as I read it.    

Overall, I expected much more from this book and felt it lacked a lot of ummph! that I was hoping for in lieu of the description.  It wasn't a terrible book for me but it wasn't an outstanding one either.  It definitely didn't stand out as a book that I will read again, and probably in a few months I doubt I'll remember much about it.  Nothing really jumped out at me in the plot and made take extreme notice.  No warm fuzzy feelings, no tingling at the back of my neck,  just nothing.  
I gave it 2 hearts.

Connect with Maya Gold:

| Website | Goodreads | 

Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater {Wolves of Mercy Falls book 3}

Title: forever
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: July 12, 2011
Format: hardback, 388 pages
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Get your copy at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be kill in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

My Thoughts:

Everything really comes full circle in the conclusion to this wonderfully sweet and highly emotional YA drama.  I was very impressed with Ms. Stiefvater's writing and I can't wait to delve into more of her worlds she creates.  
I am going to try my best to not include spoilers, but being that this is the third book in the series, that may be hard to do.  So be FOREWARNED: 
there could be some SPOILERS.  
Whew!  I am glad I could get that off my chest!  

I feel like all the mistakes, all the sacrifices, all the betrayals are hashed out and finally put into reason in this last book.  I felt like we did get a lot of closure on many aspects of the story line but the ending : not so much.  

Sam is such a sweet character, so fragile and broken, I didn't think he would ever man up.  I honestly didn't know if he had it in him but I was pleasantly surprised for him.  I found a tough exterior to him I didn't know he had and I actually liked it in him.  I feel like Sam has grown to be the man he was supposed to be, finally leaving his demons to rest.  

Grace seemed to grow a little bit more, though, I don't think she really needed to anymore.  She was already pretty tough and tired of being hurt from the people that she needed the most.  I loved the fact she stood up to her parents and  I feel like they deserved every bit of it.  If not more.  I felt like Grace lost a lot but she also gained something she wanted the most: a real family.  

I absolutely loved Cole!  He was the proverbial "bad boy" that every girl thinks is the best!  But I really enjoyed reading the book through Cole's eyes, experiencing the feelings that he had on the inside.  I feel like he really grew as a character and became someone that was a wonderful addition to the pack and especially to Sam.  

The character that I seen the most improvement throughout the entire series was Isabel.  In the first book, I didn't really like her, and now; I feel like she was the pivotal factor that saved them all.  Besides Cole, I think Isabel ended up stealing my heart, and I didn't even know it until the end.  

I loved the writing, the poetry in it, and the intense love between all of these characters.  
What I couldn't stand was the way it ended!  I felt cheated at the end and no closure at the relationships.  I would have liked a more in depth look at everyone's HEA but instead I felt like we were being pushed out like a guest that has outstayed their welcome.  
It was left wide open but with no promise of another book.  I guess I should just assume everyone got what they were looking for and everything turned out perfect for them.  But it would have been nice to see just a glimpse into the aftermath before we left the world of Mercy Falls.

Forever is a great book with lots of emotion to be felt during this calming read. I enjoyed the series; loved the characters I was introduced to, and enjoyed the descriptive prose throughout the story. 
I couldn't give it five hearts just because of the way the ending made me feel, or didn't as the case may be.  I was left with too much longing....
But I can give it four hearts for everything else!

Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater {Wolves of Mercy Falls}

Title: linger
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls Book 2
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: July 13, 2010
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Format: hardcover, 360 pages
Get your copy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
The astonishing #1 New York Times bestseller.

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

My Feelings:

I have to say Linger is my favorite book of the series so far! It was just so breathtaking with the writing and the action scenes throughout the book.  I don't think my review could even possibly do this novel justice but I am still going to go ahead and give it a try.  

Everything in Linger, spoken and unspoken, comes to play in this beautifully written story.  Grace has finally made her parents come to terms with their style of "parenting" through the actions Grace makes.  I really disliked Grace's mom and dad, and I really tried to like them.  I tried to look through their eyes, understand the whys of their complete lack of parenting, but I simply could not get it.  And I did look at it through a parent's point of view.   I guess that may be one reason it ticked me off so bad.  
Grace really grows in this novel more than ever.  She becomes stronger and more in charge of what is really inside of her.  
Sam grows a little bit but I think he is still troubled and probably a tad more confused even though his dream has come true.  Or what he thinks is his dream.  But we get to see more of what makes Sam tick in Linger and again we get to know the pack by living through Sam's memories of them.  Sam's memories are a great and sad thing but one of the things I enjoy the most about him.  
Isabel has really changed the most in Linger.  She started out as the vindictive popular girl in school and now she is so much more.  I really didn't think I was going to like her but I have been put in my place.  I am now torn when it comes to Isabel.  Some of the things she says and does makes me want to scream at her but then she still seems to be the voice of reason in the midst of all the chaos.  I have a feeling that Isabel will play a very major part in this series till the very end.  
We also get to meet a new character in Linger.  Cole St. Clair.  Wow! That name is a mouthful in itself!  
Cole is our "bad boy" wolf who brings a whole another element to our series.  I honestly think Cole is exactly what Sam needs, besides Grace, to come into his life and the pack.  And Sam is exactly what Cole needs to help him become a better person and wolf.  These two are really fun to watch interacting with each other.  They want to dislike each other so bad and yet can't help finding traits that they both have in each other.  It didn't take me very long to see why Beck chose Cole to come into the pack to help lead.  
All of these characters bring different perspectives to the book, making us look through their eyes to see the heartache and pain they have had to endure to bring them to where they are now.  I absolutely loved seeing the different povs and I felt it helped us understand what went on in their minds.  The fear, the love, the understanding, and the pain is all brought to the front in this second book.  
In Shiver, we are introduced to Mercy Falls and the different characters but in Linger we are brought inside their beings as we become a part of their very existences.  
I gave Linger five hearts for the most compelling, emotional story ever!

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater {Book 1 in Wolves of Mercy Falls}

Title: Shiver
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls book 1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: August 1, 2009
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Format: hardcover, 392 pages
Get your copy: Amazon/ Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance



My Feelings:

So this is one of those books that left me gasping for air from the way the story was crafted so breathlessly.  Ms. Stiefvater is a true storyteller in every sense of the word.  
I first fell in love with this book on the cover alone a while back.  I love how we are gazing into the forest, through the brambles and wispy branches, to find a solitary wolf staring back at us.  I love love love the blue tints and it automatically makes me think of winter.  And of course, the only other color is the spot of red which looks closely similar to a drop of blood.  

Alright, I know you guys are telling me to get on with it but I just really loved this cover as well as the others in the series.  
The theme is a well known element: werewolf, but Stiefvater takes this and puts a very unique twist on it creating something completely different and very compelling.  
Our wolves in this story are more dependent upon the seasons and temperatures than the moon.  

Ms. Stiefvater crafts a wonderful tale full of emotion that just spills out everywhere.  And then we have poetry...ahh poetry.  I love poetry and I love how much research she did to find poems that fit Sam and Grace so well.  You can really tell that our author went all the way out with the research on wolves as far as pack structure.  I just cannot get enough of the whole "Alpha-beta-omega" tier that goes with these pristine creatures.
Shiver is a slow paced novel that doesn't rush into anything. It takes its time but that is the beauty in the story.  When I was reading it, I didn't want to rush through the story (even though I only took 2 days reading it) but instead I wanted to enjoy each and every descriptive scene.  I have never been a fan of snow and winter but after reading this novel, I wanted to go wander in a snow filled forest just to hear the crunch of the packed snow under my feet!  

The characters in Shiver are complex in every sense of the word. Sam is so hurt, so fragile and yet I can't help but feeling he is more than what he seems.  I love the fact that Sam doesn't take anything for granted.  He looks at life in a very special sweet way that will make you appreciate the simple things that surround us.  
His HEA, Grace, is the opposite of Sam but his perfect match too.  I guess it is true that opposites attract because these two seem like they were meant for each other.  She is the realist in the relationship and operates on the facts that are presented to her.   This makes it even more interesting for us to see how she processes the fact that Sam is the wolf that saved her so long ago too.  She feels connected to the pack of wolves that live in the woods behind her home.  My most favorite trait of Grace?  Her loyalty to those she cares about.  She will be loyal to the very end, even if it is a losing battle.  

I really liked the other characters in this book too.  I loved Beck, even though I wasn't sure how to feel about him through some of his more questionable acts.
I really enjoyed getting to know the other pack members through Sam's memories.  That made me feel even worse for Sam.  Bless his heart!
  Grace's friends are okay but I couldn't really feel any kind of relation to them.
Her parents actually just ticked me off!  As a mom myself, I felt like her parents were just out of everything.  I am not sure if this lack of parenting is a foreshadowing of events coming up or more of an explanation as to why Grace becomes such a strong female at a very young age.  
The antagonists will definitely surprise you.  Sometimes the ones that start out as "the bad guy" will make you stand up and applaud.  

Was there parts that I felt were a little to emo-isque even for me?  Yeah there was times I thought Sam did wallow in self pity but after you figure out what he went through; hey I can understand why he has so much doubt.  

All in all, Shiver brought a lot of emotion out of me and there were times I couldn't help but cry and gasp at the situations these troubled characters have to go through in their life.  Yeah there is parts that tend to drag a little but the climax is so strong my heart still flutters thinking about it.  

I gave Shiver four hearts!