STUFF@SCHOOL, WEDNESDAY 21 JULY 2010
Spooky spells
ST7
S: Not quite spooky enough, I’m afraid. And the figure doesn’t quite capture the menacing presence of Cain. But the story is much better than the cover, so don’t judge the book by its cover! J: Yup, I wish the mist looked “mist-ier”. But I liked the colours (or more accurately, the lack of colours).
out of her back, and still stayed and supported her, instead of running away like a fraidy-cat. A: I liked David too. Not only is he such a science geek, he is a very kind boy who always tries his best to be there for Laurel, even though he knows there will always be something about her he will never understand.
Sum up and rate it! S: An interestingly spooky read, with a couple of spine-tingling scary moments in it for readers prone to imagining things going bump in the night. A bit too short for me though. Basically, a good story to while away a lazy afternoon. You might want to avoid reading this at night if you (a) have an overactive imagination, (b) own a scary-looking cat, or (c) have anything that looks like a clown in your room. (III) J: The language is simple and the characters are interesting, It’s a quick entertaining read. (III)
Did the ending please? E: Just like any other ending. Girl survives, saves the people that matters to her the most, has to make a decision on which guy she likes better – David or Tamani. After reading Spells, I am curious about what’s going to happen in the next book. A: Yes, it certainly made me want to read the sequel! Who would gush over this book? A: Girly teens who want to enter the magical world once again. If you loved gnomes and pixie stories as a child, you’ll enjoy Wings as it merges that fantasy into reality, with a sprinkle of puppy love. E: I think of Laurel as Tinker Belle all grown up as a teenager in our world. If you have always been a fan of faeries you can give this book a try. If you liked New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, you’ll probably like this one as well. Instead of vampires and werewolves, you get faeries and trolls! And the cover? A: Totally reflects the book! The shiny cover really adds to that magical feel and touch of Pike’s story. E: To be frank, I very much preferred the US cover of this book. For me, the UK cover was a little childish.
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón Publisher: Little, Brown 200 pages Review by TAN SHIOW CHIN
T
his is the story of 13-year-old Max Carver, and his family’s move to a quiet seaside town away from the busy city, due to the looming threat of World War II. It is the story of local boy Roland, who befriends him, and of Max’s older sister, Alicia, who falls for Roland. It is also the story of a broken promise, made to an evil supernatural being called the Prince of Mists. And that of another trio of friends, whose histories have set into motion the events affecting Max, Roland and Alicia. Which part of the book spoke to you the most? Shiow Chin*: I felt poor Max’s depression over having to leave “his entire world” of friends and familiar places behind when his father announces that they are leaving their city home to move to a small coastal town on his 13th birthday. And they have to move the very next day too! Jeannette*: I felt a chill when the clock at the train station began moving backwards. And I thought it was creepy that the cat had been “waiting for them”. Which character was most endearing? S: Roland was probably the character that touched me the most. About to turn 18, Roland faces the fact that he may soon be called up to join the army and fight in the ongoing world war. During his possibly last summer in his hometown, he meets Max and Alicia, and learns a family secret that marks an irreversible turning point in his life. J: I liked Irina, Roland’s younger sister. She seems pretty wild. *grin* Did the ending please? S: While the ending is not a “happily ever after” fairytale finish, it is a fair one. And it does justice to each of the three main characters: Roland, Max and Alicia. J: Mmhmm...no complaints about it from me! Who would gush over this book? S: Readers who like a bit of supernatural spookiness in their books, but not the ‘blood and gore’ type. This is the kind of story that will make you watch your closet door at night, wondering if you imagined that sound inside it... J: If you like mystery and suspense, this is the book for you. And the cover?
Spells Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike Publisher: HarperCollins 368 pages
Author: Aprilynne Pike Publisher: HarperCollins 320 pages
Reviews by EIBHLIN LIM LAUREL doesn’t realise she is a faerie until the tiny bump between her shoulders starts to blossom. She begins to learn the truth of her past and reasons behind her “abandonment” at her parents’ doorstep when she was three. She learns that she was sent to the human world to protect the gate of the faerie world, Avalon. Caught between an old battle of faerie and trolls, Laurel must walk out of the attacks alive and choose where her loyalties lie – the human world or Avalon. A year after Wings, Laurel reluctantly leaves for Avalon to study at the Academy for eight whole weeks. She knows that the trolls won’t stay away forever so she needs to learn the basic faeries spells to protect herself, her family and friends. While in Avalon, she grows closer to faerie sentry Tamani. However, when she returns to the human world, she returns to David’s arms. What Laurel is bound to face is more difficult to solve than her feelings for both David and Tamani and the choice she has to make between them. Laurel will be once again battling the Trolls who rarely give up and have come back for revenge. Which parts of the book spoke to you the most? Eibhlin*: I loved the part where Laurel first meets Tamani. She couldn’t figure out why she was drawn to him because she had forgotten her life in the faerie world. Alycia*: For me, it was the part when Laurel’s mother broke down in tears after signing the papers to sell her land - a family heirloom, in order to pay the medical bills for Laurel’s father. This part demonstrated the importance of family love, which takes precedence over everything else. Which character was most endearing? E: I felt that David was the sincerest, nicest guy ever! He found out that his girlfriend had a big flower growing right
* Tan Shiow Chin thinks that if reading was a religion, she would belong to the cults of Isaac Asimov, Agatha Christie, Neil Gaiman and Diana Wynne Jones; and her Vatican or Ka’abah would be the US Library of Congress. * Eibhlin Lim, 15, first fell in love with A Little Princess and hasn’t stopped reading since. Now, as a young teen with a voracious reading fetish, she can’t get enough of young adult fiction novels. * Jeannette Goon can’t seem to remember that she’s supposed to be all “grown up”. She devours books, from Austen to Zane Grey, and occasionally cracks open the covers of her old Beatrix Potter books. * Alycia Lim uses fiction as her key to escape from the sometimes rather boring reality. A fan of Jodi Picoult and Amy Tan, she often sneaks a chick lit or two in between as she simply can’t ignore the pretty covers!
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Sum up and rate it! E: I’m not a big fan. To me, the plot was shallow and common. The storyline was also very monotonous and dry. The conflict and choices Laurel has to make in this book was not emphasised to the fullest in order to create an impact on me. I wished that Laurel was written as an emotionally stronger character. What I did like about this book was the style of writing. I liked the way Pike describes things. It drew me into the story and made me feel like I was there watching everything happen before my eyes. (III) A: A great book for a light read over the weekend. (IIII)
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