Nimona

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson     266 pages

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

A fun sci-fi/fantasy comic about a "villain" and his quest to take down the Institution, an organization that has nefarious dealings and for which his used-to-be-best-friend works. When he's joined by Nimona, a shape-shifter who wants to become his side-kick, things might be turning around for Ballister. But Nimona turns out to be more than she seems and chaos ensues. I enjoyed the humorous dialogue between Ballister and Nimona and the "rivalry" between Ballister and Ambrosius (All the character names are hilarious and trope-y). The humor was helpful in balancing out the otherwise dark themes that come up within the story (and the slippery slope of "murder" is addressed, which I appreciated). The coloring was vivid and one of the reasons that attracted me to the book, though I'm not as big a fan of the drawing style as I hoped (though I'm a bit picky on that score, so what doesn't work for me might be satisfactory or very enjoyable to other readers). Suffice to say, it worked well with the style of the book and the characters were distinct from each other. Overall, I'd give this a medium rating, only because I didn't love it, but I had a good time reading it. It would be something I would recommend to those fond of fantasy, especially where it blends with science fiction. The humor was on point and the story is short enough to be enjoyed in one sitting. Definitely for middle-school through teen and young adult readers due to the violence depicted in the story.

Race to the Bottom of the Sea

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar     432 pages

When her parents, the great marine scientists Dr. and Dr. Quail, are killed in a tragic accident, eleven year old Fidelia Quail is racked by grief. But she is forced out of her mourning when she's kidnapped by Merrick the Monstrous, a pirate. Her task? Use her marine know-how to retrieve his treasure, lost on the ocean floor. As Fidelia and the pirates close in on the prize, with the navy hot on their heels, she realizes that Merrick doesn't expect to live long enough to enjoy his loot. Could something other than black-hearted greed be driving him?

This was a solid second book by Lindsay Eagar. Hour of the Bees was a hit for her, and rightly so because it was an amazing story with amazing characters. I was so excited to see her next book was going to be about pirates, one of my favorite subject matters. When I saw this book, I fell in love with the cover and with the idea of what it promised - a high-stakes pirate adventure, featuring a strong, scientifically-minded female protagonist. It checked so many of my boxes. And I have to say, it did not disappoint!

Eagar is a fantastic world-builder. The world is very like a 17oos world, but with some modern elements, like submarines, ocean-scanners, etc. Fidelia, in addition to following her parents' footsteps with her interest in studying marine biology, she also has a knack for inventing scientific equipment to aid her parents in their studies. She built the submarine that her parents use. So there is a tiny element of sci-fi. 

I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good pirate story. This would be a great book for girls or boys who love action/adventure stories and pirates. It's got a lot of STEAM elements in it, which makes it a great book for kids who like science, too.

Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence, 324 pages

When he was 9 Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath was thrown into briar patch and forced to watch his mother and young brother slaughtered. At 12 he ran away from life at the castle and became the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By age 15 he intends to be king.


This was a very dark book, much darker than I actually expected, and despite this I felt that you just couldn't help rooting for the murderous psychopath of a main character. Even though the setting is a little unclear at times, I felt Lawrence did good job and would recommend this book to those who enjoy dark and violent fantasy.   

Six Earlier Days

Six Earlier Days by David Levithan, 47 pages

This is a preview to the book Every Day. A wakes up every day in someone else’s body. Sometimes she is a girl, sometimes he is a boy; every day is different. This book takes six days from A’s life and shows us what happens on those specific days. Sometimes A is with an abusive family. Sometimes friends disclose a love interest in the person A is inhabiting and A doesn’t know how the person would respond. Sometimes A is able to make people’s lives a little better, maybe. This was an interesting look into more of A’s life but I think that only people who had read Every Day would really enjoy it.

Good Omens

Good Omens : The Nice and Accurate  Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, 412 pages

Several centuries ago, a witch by the name of Agnes Nutter predicted the future, with events culminating in an apocalypse. The time for said apocalypse has come. It will be heaven versus hell in one fantastic showdown. The Antichrist has been chosen and born. There are a few snags in the plan, though. The representatives for heaven and hell, Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively, who happen to be friends, aren't thrilled about the apocalypse and would like to figure out a way around it. The child they thought was the Antichrist was switched with a human child at birth. The four horsemen of the apocalypse have some groupies that can't decide what to call themselves.

In other words, an already crazy situation becomes even crazier. This book was very entertaining, a sort of scifi/fantasy blend, with lots of sharp wit and many actual laugh out loud portions. I'd not previously read anything by either of these authors, but I will definitely check out some more of their works.

P.S. Crowley, the representative for Hell, was definitely my favorite character in this book, driving around in his vintage Bentley, taking credit for heinous human acts that he actually had nothing to do with. :)