The Starstone by Grace Chetwin

Link to synopsis: The Starstone

Lets see. So this is the last book in the Gom of Windy Mountain series, and I have the same criticism for this one as I do for several other series-enders. The ending is sadly insufficient. Nothing is settled, as far as the main character goes, and as for the plot, there was a flippin' war going on! How can you end the series in the middle of a war? I guess we are supposed to assume that because Gom won his battle, the war was a no-brainer. Very frustrating.

The rest of the story wasn't bad. A little quicker paced than the previous books, and with more character development. I'll always wish for the next three books that should have been written in this series . . .


Date Completed: 6/5/2008
Rating: 3.0

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

Link to synopsis:Gregor And The Code Of Claw (Underland Chronicles)

It took two different hold requests at the local library to finally get my hands on this book. The series as a whole is fantastic, a term here meant to mean both good and hard to believe. (Sorry, I had a Series of Unfortunate Events moment there.) This book was about 85% of everything I hoped it would be. I guess that is good for a solid "B" grade. Let's begin with the assumption that it is perfect, and then I will give my reasons---both of them---for deducting 15%.

Reason 1: The ending was less than satisfactory. You just didn't feel "closure" with how it wrapped up. I will admit to being a little sensitive to this since I have the same complaint about a number of other recent reads. I hope it isn't a trend, either in publishing or my tastes. Either one would be inconvenient. Anyway, I believe that there is a certain level of closure that an author owes the their audience after a series. A stand-alone book is one thing, but after 5 or 7 or 13 (don't even get me started about Robert Jordan) you owe your readers a little more than a 2 or 3 page "and they walked into the sunset" kind of ending. I am going to re-read Harry Potter just so I can continue this rant in that review. . .

Reason 2: So the whole story line is interesting, albeit a little weird, but being a fantasy reader that isn't what bothers me. Does anyone else think that Gregor is way way way too young to be in these situations? I am not saying anything about the age of the readers of this book. I am saying that I don't want to read about a 12 year old kid falling in love and being a great warrior. It is unbelievable. And that is saying something, coming from a guy who is not put off by talking rats, magic spells or humanoid aliens who wear wooden armor. Now if Gregor were 16 or so, I could begin to see it. Even 15 would be closer. But 12? No way.


Date Completed:5/31/2008
Rating: 3.3

Jason's Seven Magical Night Rides by Grace Chetwin

Link to synopsis: Jason's Seven Magical Night Rides

I will be brief. I like a lot of Chetwin's work. It is generally slower paced, but it gets it done, generally speaking. This book is not in that category. I had to force myself to finish it. It was disjointed and had very little sensible plot.

The one bright spot (worth .5): Many of the scenes used a variety of historical settings that were both interesting and informative, although I did not check up on any of the details.

A note: At the end I think I figured out what Chetwin was trying to do. Constant references to Jason's absent father were supposed to lead up to his acceptance of his situation. To me the whole thing came across as weak from a development perspective, and the finale was cheesy. Like I said, I like her other work, this one just didn't get there.


Date Completed: 5/28/08
Rating: .5