The Fairy's Library

From the back Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce. While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.      Exhibit A. Rachel is not like other girls. I don't know about you, but why are YA heroines the only tomboys in the whole wide world, and girly girls are always weak, useless and below the heroine.      Exhibit B. So according to Rachel sewing is useless. She finds hunting and killing things far more useful. (I guess she hunts in the nude then, I mean where does she get her cloths? )      Exhibit C. Sparring is a show of strength. The only way for a woman to be strong is to be a killing machine. (It isn't)      Exhibit D. Simmular to A, Rachel is the only girl who...

     The fact that I run a book blog makes it pretty obvious that I love to read.  I love books and I love the characters that live within their pages; however, as I have talked to people about books and characters and read more reviews there is one thing I have began to notice.  People do not like female characters in YA books.  They are often called bland, uninteresting, and Mary Sues.  I have pondered why this happens and have an idea.        Most female characters could be sisters with the physical resemblance to each other.  Brown hair medium hight, usually brown eyes but sometimes blue.  They often do not think themselves as attractive and suffer from ether crippling self doubt or a massive ego (if the author is feeling "innovative".  The reason this happens is because authors are trying to make their lead character relatable to everyone. She must be like all the girls out there so they can relate ...

Kitchen Princess Omnibus 1 review By Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi     Kitchen Princess is not about a princess, but a young lady who has remarkable culinary skills. Her dream is to find the boy who once saved her life and present him with the most wonderful dessert she made herself, but first she has to find him. The plot actually has some truly moving moments. I loved reading about these characters and the authors work hard to give the characters depth and personality. You grow to care about them and you want to root for them when they face hardships.     Kitchen Princess has well-done illustrations and natural sounding dialogue. Because this book was originally written in Japanese it has an explanation on honorifics and other aspects of the culture that may be confusing for western readers.  I, also, love how all of the recipes that are made in the book are included in the back so you can try your hand at making them yourse...

      Mara Daughter of the Nile was written over fifty years ago.  It tells the tale of Mara, a slave girl, in ancient Egypt who is purchased because of her ability to read and speak multiple languages.  While this may seem like a strange skill that a slaveholder would value in a slave, it is needed for the task picked out for Mara.  Mara’s new owners want her to spy on political enemies.  This dangerous role becomes even more perilous when through an unforeseen event, Mara finds herself playing the role of a double agent for two opposing political enemies!         I was required to read this book back in middle school, and I hated it.  I understood absolutely nothing.  As a result this book ended up collecting dust in my family’s attic.   Eventually, one rainy day I decide to read it again.  As it turns out, I learned the lesson that just because a book is appropriate for younger children doesn't mean t...

Life is Short Spoiler review by Rebecca Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon      Teenagers never make any mistakes and parents are morons.      I know this is a little harsh, but I am bitterly disappointed with this book. Everything Everything started out so wonderfully.  The first half of the book was really good, and I wondered if Maddie would get a happy ending or not.  Then the second half of the book starts and Maddie runs away with a boy she has only known for a few months.  Don’t get me wrong,  I love Olly, but this part in the plot did not sit well with me.  However, my interest was regained when Maddie gets sick away from home and actually feels bad about what she put her mother through.   At this point I was worried about what was going to happen.  Then we find out that her mother was lying about Maddie’s disease.  I hated this part because at this point I was reading yet another story about a tee...

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The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past By Akira Himekawa          It is no secret that videogames are often adapted into different mediums. Unfortunately, the results of these adaptations are often mediocre at best, and at worst universally hated by everyone.  Surprisingly, this is not the case for A Link to The Past .  As an avid Legend of Zelda fan,I had no plans to read this manga because I thought it would be terrible, but I was in for a delightful treat.      The manga follows the game’s plot very closely; however, it does take some liberties to help the plot flow better in this medium.  All of the locations and characters are beautifully illustrated. I never had a moment while reading this story be ruined by terrible art.  The dialogue flows naturally which is especially good as this is an English translation from Japanese.  Overall, this is an excellent read that will captivate Zelda fans and high-...