Jofil Angelo Agrupis Angelo Agrupis itibaren Tyshkivka, Kirovohrads'ka oblast, Ukrayna
First, I must confess that my taste in fantasy is limited. This has resulted in my getting through perhaps the first three or four chapters of a book before placing it back on the shelf to be forgotten. There are many, many books on that shelf. Once in a while, though, I find one that I can truly enjoy. Those books are placed on a different shelf; the one that holds my Tolkien collection, my copies of `Watership Down,' `Wind in the Willows,' and `The Complete Calvin and Hobbes' (my book collection is not very well organized). `The Legend of Witch Bane' is presently sitting on my chair-side table, and I have just completed it. As a lover of the Classics, I must say that I haven't enjoyed a YA book so much since `The Hobbit.' The author, Kevis Hendrickson, has not only mastered the narrative style of writing (which I most enjoy), he has recalled the gems of the `Age of Story-telling.' At times, `Legend' reads like a favorite fairy tale, at times it feels more like classic mythology, but it is always told TO the reader. I believe that's what I like the most about it. I can hear Mr. Hendrickson's `voice' throughout. This is a wonderful book for older children. It is also a wonderful book for adults who enjoy a gentle, yet intriguing tale. Now...lest you be thinking that `Legend' concerns bunnies and warm, fuzzy things, I will correct you on that point. There are definite dark elements, beginning with the very first chapter, and they are well developed. There is heart-wrenching conflict, betrayal, and despair. There is not, however, the jolting, screaming violence characteristic of many works of modern fantasy. The world of the Northern Realm is beautiful and well-imagined, peopled with entertaining and believable fantasy creatures (some of which you may `recognize' from your favorite childhood tales). The illustrations are a delight. There is whimsy and gentle humor to temper the treachery and self-serving nature of Evil Queen Rhiannon, who is a very frightening presence. Ultimately, this is a story about the power of love. There is a definite art to story-telling. One must hold the reader's interest, but if a story is too fast-paced, it cannot be savored. Characters must be real, believable, and identifiable...and, it helps if at least some of them are loveable, especially in a YA book. Descriptions must be effective; not too lengthy, but sufficient to place the reader in the scene. `Legend' is a thumbs-up on all points. It is not a difficult read, an asset in a book aimed at younger readers. I plan to read it to my six-year-old godchild. If you prefer a book that reads like a screenplay with punchy, `modern' dialogue, you might not like this one. If you can open your mind and recall your favorite tales, the ones you loved of old, then you'll have a very pleasant experience curling up with this book. If you're like me, and love the Classics, you'll be enthralled. `Legend' is well written, and that is crucial to its effectiveness, but what makes it a true stand-out is that it's a tale well told. Mr. Hendrickson, you are a bard!
A colleague gave me this book because it talks about Maine. Well, the author starts hiking the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, and it takes a long time, and a lot of chapters, to get to Maine. The good news is that I enjoyed the journey. It made me miss the East Coast quite a bit, but somehow didn't make me want to hike the AT. :) The first half of the book is surprisingly funny -- the entire thing is a really well-written travelogue.
This is the last and final book from the Twilight saga and Bella is destined to become a vampire. Everything is going good in her life and Victoria is finally dead, but one thing is missing and that is Jacob. Jacob suprised Bella by showing up to her wedding even though he did not approve Bella marrying Edward. On Bellas honeymoon, Edward and Bella did it and she finds herself getting cravings for food, but she cant get herself to eat it. She takes a pregnancy test and she finds out she is pregnant. Bella goes into hiding because the baby is have human and half a vampire, the rarest species in the world. Once Bella is giving birth, Edward finds himself turning Bella into a vampire because her baby would have killed her. So her babies name is esmesse and she is a un of a kind creature. Everything was find until the Voulturs found out about Esmesse and they created an army to attack and kill the baby. Once again the Cullens create and army and fight off the Voulturs and The Cullens live happily eve after and Esmesse didnt die
** spoiler alert ** Oh gawd...now I just want to crawl into a hole... This series never fails to glue me to its pages. This book in particular was completely riveting, and the end was almost tear-worthy. ALMOST. This IS a traditional teen fantasy book though, so the attached predictability saved me from too much shock at Dimitri's sudden 'demise'. I feel sorry for Rose, yet I really do think she was too harsh on Lissa. But of course she has to go find Dimitri - it would be too much to give poor Adrian a chance, right? And this way, it's a smooth lead up to her saving Dimitri's life. Yes, I'm still humouring myself with blind optimism...can you blame me?
My girls loved this book...
Despite being written by an apostate, it is not entirely worthless. Here is why it is annoying, though: Ehrman starts explaining concepts which NT studies have known for 30 years, yet he is acting like he just discovered them and that they are really dangerous to Christianity (they aren't). Further, he really does believe, or so how he writes, that anyone who disagrees with him is a total moron who thinks the Left Behind novels are real (he comes very close to saying that). While Ehrman is correct to note the apocalyptic context, he seems adamant that the phrase "end of the world" means "end of the space time continuum." He is not familiar, being a modernist, with the echoes to OT texts that speak of judgment on Jerusalem. He continues to cling to out-dated modernist scholarship Despite all of that, it is an easy read and he does touch upon the basics which we've already known (but bless his heart, he probably does think he discovered them).