Renegades (Trilogy)

Silver Valkyrie: This series has plenty of adventure! There are good guys and bad guys, heroes and villains (and those categories don’t line up as simply as you might assume), explosions, rooftop fights, futuristic gadgets and heroic rescues. Good comic book style fun.

Princess Raqpunzel: There are multiple threads of romance through the series–because of the premise, there’s a lot of tension and secrets in the main relationship, but I thought it was a nice blend of them genuinely getting to know and like each other while also trying to deal with their own secrets and confused loyalties. It was one of the side romances that made me cry a little though…

There are also a number of strong friendships (some of which are also muddled by the same secrets and confused loyalties) and good sibling relationships. (I’m always a sucker for a good big brother character, even if that’s not his main role in the story…)

Hammer of Justice: This is going to sound strange coming from me, but if anything, I wished for the moral issues to be a little less clear cut. I liked how the author played against stereo types, and sometimes ‘heroes’ did the wrong thing, and sometimes ‘villains’ were really trying to make the world a better place, but for each individual choice, it seemed very clear cut and simple whether that choice was right or wrong.

As a personal preference, I would have enjoyed having some situations that I had to really think through and figure out who was right and who was wrong. That said, the simple clarity of right and wrong combined with the complexity of human motivation and choices is probably perfect for younger readers.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: There is a lot of fighting with fists, guns and various superpowers (lasers, icicles, shockwaves, etc) and corresponding injury (ranging from minor to life threatening or life altering). There are occasional deaths. Details are minimal, but some blood and pain and such is described. Minor spoiler for possibly upsetting content that occurs in the first chapter (highlight to view text): The death of an infant happens offscreen and is referenced repeatedly throughout the series.

Language: A peppering of made up curse words, most notably, “great skies” and “sweet rot”.

Sex/Nudity:  A few kisses and hugs, only once described at any length, and still with minimal detail.

Other: There is a reference to child molestation. A homosexual couple appears as secondary characters throughout the series–the focus is not on their relationship, but they are frequently referenced as a major character’s ‘two dads’.

Summary: This trilogy didn’t quite live up to it’s potential to make me love it, but was still a good time, and well worth reading if you enjoy superheroes and teens trying to save the world.

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Miss Buncle Married (Miss Buncle #2)

Silver Valkyrie: While I wouldn’t call this book adventurous, there is a satisfying smattering of everyday chivalry and good life choices.

Princess Raqpunzel: This book is all about people and their quirks. While not quite to the level of the first book in the series (Miss Buncle’s Book) in that regard, I still found it entertaining and enjoyable. There are also two sweet love stories at different stages, which makes it even better.

Hammer of Justice: Here and there are a few false notes in the choices people make, but rarely at the level of more than a brief wince or sigh at human nature.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: None.

Language: Occasional “British” swearing.

Sex/Nudity:  Art conversations lead to references to nudity and use of the word ‘anaphrodite’. There is implication/reference to the possibility of an extra-marital affair. There are a handful of highly veiled references to marital intimacy, and a few kisses.

Other: There is an incident with a voodoo doll. Neighbor children run rather wild and sometimes cause minor injury or property damage without real remorse. Though the marriage relationship portrayed in the book is overall good and healthy, there are a few moments of manipulation and poorly handled disagreements. There are a number of secrets and lies throughout the book, though rarely malicious in intent.

Summary: Almost as good as the first book in the series, and recommended for anyone who might enjoy a light, humorous British classic.

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The Namesake

Silver Valkyrie: I would count the chapters focused on leaving a home country to live in a strange place as a sort of adventure, but otherwise there is no adventure at all.

Princess Raqpunzel: This book explores a lot of different kinds of relationships (arranged marriage, difficult aspects of parent/child, between people of the same nationality living in a new place, etc) and I enjoyed that, though I found that few of those interesting glimpses resolved in a satisfying way.

Hammer of Justice: I really disliked some of the decisions made by characters, and especially the way they seemed to be presented as things that just happen sometimes, instead of as very bad decisions.

I did love a brief passage talking about Christmas compared to Hindu holidays–though I think it was accidental on the part of the author it vividly reminded me how and why Christmas and everything it represents really is the best.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: None.

Language: Occasional.

Sex/Nudity:  While it doesn’t quite cross the line into explicit, there are multiple scenes where uncomfortably intimate details are shared.

Other: There are deaths, a reference to suicide, and mild descriptions of some severe injuries.

Summary: Worth reading once if you enjoy excellent writing about mundane life, and getting to see different people’s lifestyles and challenges.

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Let It Snow

Silver Valkyrie: For contemporary YA romance there’s a surprising amount of low-key adventure. The interconnected stories all take place during or directly before/after a big snowstorm, and one story particularly has characters travelling through the snow.

Princess Raqpunzel: All of the stories are very sweet, even bordering on cheesy, but for me (or at least my mood while reading) it was a good balance of humor and romance.

Hammer of Justice: Some of the characters make irritatingly poor decisions over the course of the stories, though main characters usually realize their errors by the time everything wraps up.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: Minor. A bit wrestling/fistfighting.

Language: There’s a heavy sprinkling of moderate language, mostly concentrated in the middle story. The word ‘asshat‘ is the most frequent offender here. (Highlight to read word in quotation marks.)

Sex/Nudity:  A number of kisses with minimal description. A possible veiled reference to sex, though vague enough that it’s more or less left to your own assumptions. A number of rather personal remarks about body parts.

Other: Multiple references to cheating on relationships.

Summary: If you’re looking for a just-cheesy-enough Christmas themed book, and can handle some language and other references, this is a great choice!

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The Cricket in Times Square

Silver Valkyrie: For a cricket–or a middle grade reader–living in a subway station in New York is pretty adventurous. As an adult, the book was amusing, but not especially exciting.

Princess Raqpunzel: As a child I found this story very emotional, especially the ending. I do still appreciate the friendships and the family dynamics in this story, just with less emotional investment.

Hammer of Justice: This seems like a great story for small children. The characters have flaws, but come through when needed, and always take responsibility for the (numerous) accidental damages they cause.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: None. There is some danger where the characters are in fear for their lives, but no injuries.

Language: None that I noticed.

Sex/Nudity:  None.

Other: One character is greedy, though as mentioned above, he always shares what he has when it’s really needed. There is mention of crickets being lucky, and the story is told of the Chinese legend of how crickets were created, which includes mention of their gods.

Summary: I loved this one as a child, and though it’s less magical as an adult, it was still an enjoyable experience.

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The Green Ember

Silver Valkyrie: I enjoyed the adventure aspects of this, though I had lingering disappointment that we were following two young rabbits and not the awesome warrior rabbit in the prologue.

Princess Raqpunzel: While there are some elements I approved of, like a dynamic sibling relationship, this book didn’t really tug on my heartstrings.

Hammer of Justice: Very cool symbolism and inspiration around “The Mended Wood” and how much both everyday chores and artistic endeavors matter in light of making the world less broken.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: Many fights, battles and injuries, but none graphically described. Death happens off screen.

Language: None.

Sex/Nudity:  None.

Other: Some characters display anger and bitterness, but in such a way that encourages the reader not follow that example. Treachery is a big theme in the story.

Summary: While not the most compelling story for an adult reader, it was reasonably enjoyable, and seems like an excellent story for the intended age group.

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Ghostlight

Silver Valkyrie: One of my favorite things about the fantasy genre in general is how battles between good and evil can be so direct and at the forefront. This book does that particularly well.

Princess Raqpunzel: While this book barely strays into the territory of a romance, there is a lot of banter and relationship growing that I enjoyed. I’m looking forward to seeing that continued and resolved in the sequel!

Hammer of Justice: This world is clearly rooted in a Christian theology, though perhaps Roman Catholic in places. There are a few bits that feel off theologically, but also some that feel so right that overall I love the world building.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: Nothing noticeably gory or graphic, though there is quite a lot of battle and fighting, which includes some injury and even death.

Language: None that I noticed.

Sex/Nudity: There is one time that banter between the two main characters leads into mild innuendo. There are a few passing references to brothels and such.

Other: There are a lot of creepy motifs, though handled in an adventure story way rather than focused on the creepy factor. The good guys do ‘magic’, with at least some of the magic clearly rooted in Catholic style power of saints (artifacts and such).

Summary: An entertaining battle-against-evil type adventure story that could be enjoyable for a wide age range.

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A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea

Silver Valkyrie: This is essentially a gritty survival story, very similar to prison camp stories I’ve read. Normally I prefer such stories with a thread of hope through them, which is lacking here, partly because it is not from a Christian perspective. Since it’s a memoir, I can appreciate it for being accurate to the author’s experiences, even including the lack of hope.

Princess Raqpunzel: There are no happy endings here, but there are some very sweet family moments scattered through the story of their difficult lives.

Hammer of Justice: Considering the difficult subject matter, this book is very readable, and gives a good view into the effects of communist rule in general as well as the conditions in North Korea specifically.

(Note: I am now currently reading The Girl with Seven Names, which is the story of a woman who escaped from North Korea after growing up on the privileged end of the social spectrum. I think reading these together will give me a more complete and balanced view of the situation in North Korea, and I’m curious to see what led to her leaving, given her relatively pampered life there.)

Content Warning:
(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: There are a few fist fights and some physical abuse. Injuries are sometimes mentioned, but not described in great detail.

Language: There are very occasional instances of blasphemy.

Sex/Nudity:  None, except for the most oblique implications, such as when an unmarried woman becomes pregnant.

Other: Deaths are fairly frequent, including infant death. There is a suicide attempt. Racism going both directions between Japanese and Koreans is pervasive. Generally harsh situation, including little food and oppressive working and living conditions.

Summary: This is a bleak, even rather harsh book, but for those who can stomach it, highly recommended for a better understanding of what’s going on in communist North Korea.

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The Housekeeper and the Professor

Silver Valkyrie: Sadly, calling anything in this book an adventure would be a stretch. While there are perhaps some heroic qualities exhibited here and there, this is not really a Silver Valkyrie kind of book.

Princess Raqpunzel: I’m not sure I can fully explain what I loved about this book, but the slow character development, and the friendships that formed, were very sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Hammer of Justice: I really appreciated the theme of mathematics being beautiful, and even something that humans copy from ‘God’s Notebook’ as we get deeper glimpses over time into how numbers work together.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: No violence. There are a couple of minor injuries and blood is mentioned.

Language: None.

Sex/Nudity:  Only the slightest hints at sex, as there are references to children born out of wedlock, with absentee fathers, and an accusation of impropriety at one point. The closest thing to nudity is an old man in his underwear.

Other: A character has short term memory loss, which significantly impacts his ability to live a normal life. A character tells another character essentially, “I’ll forgive you, but I’ll never forget,” a dubious portrayal of what forgiveness means.

Summary: 
A story that slowly unfolds a rich portrayal of friendship and mathematics. Recommended for everyone who can enjoy or tolerate the very slow pace.

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For Darkness Shows the Stars

Silver Valkyrie:
While the adventure in this story is cleverly disguised as every day life, I enjoyed following a heroine who was torn between romantic adventure and staying home to try to make the world a better place in the midst of a messy and confusing situation.

Princess Raqpunzel:
If you’ve read Persuasion, which this novel is loosely based on, you’ll know to expect a very understated love story. I found it to be very sweet, and also enjoyed the portrayal of several different friendships in the story.

Hammer of Justice:
What really makes this book shine, and brings together the other threads of the story, is the setting. It clearly parallels the time when the South was just starting to move away from slavery, but tells its own story in a world that was once destroyed by genetic manipulation of all kinds, and pokes a bit at the lines between what’s helpful and harmful in that field.

Content Warning:

(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)

Violence: There is a dramatic injury, and a couple of intense threats of violence which bring up the tension level.

Language: I think there’s one instance of ‘british’ swearing toward the end of the book, but to be honest I didn’t even notice it myself, just saw another reviewer point it out.

Sex/Nudity:  Given how much genetic manipulation is part of the plot, some discussion of breeding animals and passing on genes is inevitable, but is handled in veiled language. In fact, I’m impressed how much the author manages to imply without saying anything inappropriate. A brothel is implied in context with the phrase ‘a house of young girls’, and there are similar highly veiled hints at rape. There’s also one scene where a girl falls asleep in boy’s arms, written for emotional impact rather than sensual detail.

Other: There is a death. There are a lot of family tensions and some emotional manipulation. Thematically, a lot comes up about trust and breach of trust.

Summary: 
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading about social issues or who gets excited about the idea of a sci-fi Jane Austen retelling. And since I loved this book myself, I might even try to convince you to read it if you don’t fall into one of the above categories.

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