"Tis much when sceptres are in children's hands; but more when envy breeds unkind division: there comes the ruin, there begins confusion."

That quote sums up most of the plot! Henry VI is too young to rule on his own, and his advisers and lords ruin everything by bickering and fighting amongst themselves, leaving England's armies vulnerable to the French.

I loved Talbot's stalwart character! He is horrified to see dishonor among his fellow knights, because his own sense of honor and courage in battle is so high. He has plenty of daring speeches, and I loved the scenes between him and his son, John Talbot. (Except the rhyming couplets in those scenes were a bit awkward and even silly for the serious dramatic material.)

I loved the scene with the Countess and Talbot. Haha! I laughed so hard. Ooh, she has a mean and bitter tongue, and he just laughed in her stupid face. She changed her tune pretty quick after that. What a brilliant scene!

Joan of Arc is a wild sort of character. The French believe she is a saint. The English think she's a witch with fiends and devils around her. I love her sassy dialogue and her quick-witted responses amongst all those menfolk. But in the end, she's just a scared girl, saying anything in a desperate attempt to save her life. I don't know if her character vacillates so much on purpose, because she's crazy; or if her character is just badly organized, lacking unity in the writing. ??? Either way, she's an interesting person.

King Henry VI, himself, struck me as a sweet little kid. He just wants everyone to get along, but he doesn't have the experience or wisdom to control all those different factions of lords and dukes in his court. He is naive, and makes some bad decisions. He is too easily swayed by the last person who spoke. But for all that, I liked him! He has a good heart, but his circumstances are just beyond his abilities.


Love the writing! Love the action! Not my absolute fave, but still another great play from the Bard.

I loved the idea for this book! The blurb got me interested right away; An alternate world where violent faeries and dragons and mysterious railwraiths live alongside the steam and steel of the Old West. How cool is that?!

I immediately connected with the main character, 13 year old Merion, as he struggles to find his feet after his father's murder. He's so confused and trying so hard to keep it together and act like an adult. His whole world shifts when he is sent out to the middle of nowhere to live with his weird undertaker aunt, and I liked seeing him find his way in that new and frightening environment.

Merion's faerie friend is kind of a wild card, an outlaw on the run from the Faerie Queen, with his own agenda and secrets. He seems so harmless and small at times, then we see how vicious and dangerous he can really be. He's definitely an interesting addition to the story.

This writer definitely knows how to craft a good story! The writing style is excellent; it really draws you in and keeps you entertained. The pacing is a bit slow at times with lots of build-up and explanation at the beginning, but when it picks up again, you are glad for all the backstory.

All that being said, I couldn't finish the book. There was way too much profanity, and I just hate that. It grates on my nerves, and I don't want to fill my mind with all that ugliness. I guess I thought that since the main character is only 13, there would be some restraint in the content of the book, and... yeah, I was wrong.
Also, the blurb is not kidding when it talks about the blood and guts and vomit and maggots in the dead bodies. Eeewwwwww.... yucky. And sweet little me, being a girly-girl, does not enjoy reading about the icky stuff. I'm sure that all the guys would love it though.

So this book was not for me, but I think that others who love fantasy and are not bothered by grossness and profanity would really love it!

I enjoyed reading this book at the beach in Florida while on vacation! It's easy to follow, and there aren't too many characters. The insta-love romance is gritty, but sweet. The plot is a bit predictable, even with the double twist toward the end, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. Not Christie's greatest work by any means, but a fun fluff read that is perfect for vacation.

I love this beautiful little devotion book! Focusing on the life of Peter and his most defining moments with Christ, this book paints an inspiring picture of what is possible in our Christian lives when we accept an invitation from the Lord.
Christ invited Peter to launch out into the deep and trust Him for the resulting fishing success. Christ invited Peter to walk on water, to feed 5,000 hungry people by giving the little he had, and to pray all night in the garden.
This book shows how God is always inviting us to a deeper relationship with Him, to realize our full potential in Him, and encourages and inspires the reader to accept those invitations from God.

The illustrations, photos, and layout of the book are delightful, and really make an impact as you read. This would make a perfect little gift book for anyone in any place in their Christian walk!

This book was only okay. I do love stories about dragons though! This book has the basics for a good dragon story, but just needs some better structure.

The characters are one-dimensional and the story needs some further development. There's almost no sub-plot at all, and it ends pretty quickly instead of having a third act climax and then denouement. The main character has almost no really difficult decisions to make, and there are few real obstacles for them to overcome, therefore there's little to no suspense.

The writing often "tells" instead of "showing", so that the friendships, character development, and changes in mood feel forced. Insta-friendship and insta-love both happen. sigh. I need some dialogue in there to SHOW me how they became friends, and joked together, and teased each other, and had deep conversations about things they have in common, and how their body language SHOWS their like or dislike for other people. All that was missing.

I'm really confused about the world-building. It seems to be mythical, medieval times, but then there are things that don't belong in those olden times. There's no running water in homes, but there ARE oil lamps. People are carrying swords, but also wearing spectacles. There are vicars instead of priests, which completely weirds me out. There are blueberry muffins but no ovens to bake them in. (Also, it's set in England, so what kind of "muffins" are these?) Everything is cooked over a wood fire in a fireplace, so how did anyone make muffins? There is no mention of anyone having an oven.

A major plot point is that Lady Silver kidnaps workers to work in her massive coal mines, so that she has a monopoly on the coal industry. However, there is not one single instance of anyone using coal for any purpose. Who is buying all this coal? There's no steam-powered engines, no coal-burning stoves or heating, no steel factories. Where is all that coal going? I don't know.

There are some cliche bits like the horses being named Paladin and Prince. (Oh my. If I had a nickel for every horse named Prince...) Also a character actually imagines himself running through a field of wildflowers with the girl he loves. Ummm... yeah. That's sad.

I was disappointed that the dragons don't talk. They are intelligent, but they don't talk. Why can't you talk, dragons? I want to talk to you!

I wish there were more girls in prominent roles in this book. Why are all the girls at home knitting and mysteriously baking muffins and cherry pies without an oven? Why aren't they out there kicking butt and fighting dragons?
If it's winter, how did Victoria make a cherry pie? Where did those cherries come from in the middle of winter? I don't know what is happening.

Also, where did the main character, Sean, learn to use a sword? He's a farm boy, so where did he suddenly get this great skill with a sword? Did his father teach him? Was he taught at the village school? I don't know. I need some things explained here.

Why are British people calling their knit-top garments "sweaters" instead of "jumpers"? Are they suddenly Americanized? In medieval times, it might have been called a jersey, but I don't know what this is here.

Why is Sean afraid of heights? Where did that come from? What is the backstory here?

I like the basics of this story, but it needs some macro-editing and some more development. Of course, to a kid, all these things that stick out to me might not be so noticeable. It could be a good story with a little help and some serious explanations.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher or author for review. The opinions stated here are my own, and are not influenced by the publisher or anyone else.

This book weaves together the stories of several orphans, both fictional and real. Lucy Maud Montgomery was abandoned by her father, left with her grandparents, and grew up feeling orphaned, which inspired her to write her famous Anne stories, one of the most beloved orphan girls of all time. The author, Lorilee Craker, was also an orphan, given up for adoption and raised by her adopted Mennonite family. Lorilee went on to adopt a daughter of her own from Korea. Four orphan stories from widely different times and circumstances, but all with one central message- The Love of God heals us, chooses us, delights in us, and adopts us into a heavenly family.

I loved that the author widens the definitions of orphanhood to include anyone who has ever been bereaved, experienced loss, or been disappointed in life. We are all spiritual orphans until God takes us under His wing. The book has a wide audience, not just orphans, since we have all felt left behind and abandoned at some point.

The writing is very clever and witty and jovial, which makes it rather too verbose for me sometimes. I don't need a string of 6 adjectives, no matter how clever they may be. Puns and jokes and cute little metaphors abound, but I prefer them in small doses.

The stories are sometimes too detailed and I get bored with all the minutiae, but most of the stories in each chapter are inspirational and I definitely cried a few times! The writer is down-to-earth and easy to relate to, but the stories are also high-minded and noble in their messages of love, acceptance, faith, and hope.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This sequel follows Nym, Rasha, and their frenemy, Myles, as they all travel to Bron as delegates and ambassadors. Nym is pitted against the evil Draewulf again, as she tries to uncover his dastardly plans while fighting to protect her friends and her sweetheart, Eogan.

The main character, Nym, is so depressed through all this book. I don't think there's a single cheerful scene in the whole book. As in the first book, I couldn't connect with her character, although she is well-written and has great depth. There's also a trigger warning for self-harm as Nym is still cutting herself for those tattoos. Sad.

I liked Rasha's character, but she is rather static. She just reacts to whatever is going on, and doesn't have a journey of her own or any character development. She doesn't change enough through the story. I would have liked to see more of her in depth, instead of being a sidekick all the time.

The plot has all those great twists and action going on. The grim setting in Bron is well-described, the culture, the atmosphere, etc. As in the first book, the politics and war and councils and all that spy stuff didn't really entertain me. I just couldn't get interested for some reason, although it's well-written. I liked that we discover further depths of the magic abilities in this world and where they come from!

I didn't really care about any of the new supporting characters who are introduced. They are varied and distinct, and I felt like I ought to love them, but I felt little to no emotional connection with them.

I can't really put my finger on why I don't love these books. Everything appears correct and the writing is excellent, but I just don't care about the story or the characters. It doesn't draw me in. Meh.

This is a good ending for the trilogy with all those loose ends tied up. The plot has some good development and depth to it. There's a bit of mystery surrounding the cavern and what they will find inside. Several new characters are introduced, and we find out more of the history of the giants and their ancient wars.

Overall, the story is good, but the characters don't have much depth to them, and the plot is somewhat predictable. The obstacles that the characters face are too easily and quickly overcome, so there's not much suspense. The author is mostly "telling" instead of "showing", so that the writing feels stiff. But the writing is concise and clear, and always positive.

The message can be preachy, but still inspiring. As with the other books, I wish the spiritual messages had been more subtle for the reader to discover on their own, instead of being explained in so obvious a way. I think a subtle message is more powerful than one that is thrown in the reader's face.

There is one great fight scene in the Theatre that I really liked! It was drawn-out and had some complexity, some tension.
I loved the new setting in this book, seeing more of the western lands, different cultures, and different giants. It's definitely an imaginative landscape!

I liked seeing more of the some of the old characters, but I especially liked the development of the new giant characters, like Earthson, a young giant prince. Earthson is internally conflicted, wanting to be loyal to his father, but knowing his father is making bad decisions. He is one of the few characters who we can see really struggling with an internal battle, and I wish that had been more prominent.

Overall, a good trilogy with a positive message and a spiritually refreshing theme. Not the best writing, but still enjoyable and entertaining. (A two-star rating means "it was okay".)

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

I liked this book pretty well! In this story, the friendly giants who have always helped the townspeople suddenly disappear, and only one man has the courage to journey into the wilds to locate the giants and find out why they left. The main character, Thomas, grabbed my attention right away, and I liked seeing him deal with each crisis as it comes up in the story, gathering courage and wisdom as he journeys along. He's a good character!

The writing is blatantly preachy, but still inspiring. I liked how the spiritual message is gradually unfolded, but I wish it had been more subtle for the reader to discover on their own, instead of being explained in so obvious a way. I think a subtle message is more powerful than one that is thrown in the reader's face.

The plot moves along with a good pace, but could use more dialogue. The main character is traveling alone for much of the book, so not much dialogue there. The plot also doesn't have any layers to it. There is just one story line that is fairly straightforward. I would have liked to see more of the villagers struggling on their own, or a back-story on Thomas' wife, or some catastrophe among the giants. Something extra to give the narrative more depth and scope. It feels flat sometimes.

However, the writing style is concise and clear, and has only one strong POV. (I hate multiple POVs.) I was drawn into the world of the giants, and I cared about the characters! I felt spiritually refreshed and encouraged after reading this book, and I will gladly continue reading the series!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

I adore this devotional based on lessons from the works of Sherlock Holmes! Each chapter focuses on a particular quote, or a quality of Holmes and Watson, or one of their adventures, and weaves a similarity between that concept and the Christian life. Although Conan Doyle was not a notable Christian and Holmes is somewhat ambiguous about his beliefs, there are still lessons to be learned from the stories!

My only problem was that sometimes the lesson to be taught from the Holmes story was really a stretch. The spiritual points reached were not at all similar to Doyle's writing, and it felt like the author was trying too hard to make a comparison that just isn't there. But that didn't happen too often. Most of the time the concept from Doyle's writing works with the devotion portion of the chapter.

I loved all the details from the stories, the background on Conan Doyle, and the history of the Victorian times. There are lots of quotes from the books, and references to the movies and generations of fans... it's just wonderful! The author really researched the whole world of Sherlock; they definitely know their stuff.

Each chapter begins with a quote from Holmes, and ends with a Scripture verse. What a delightful way to bookend the chapters! The devotional parts are very inspirational, and give sound truths in a concise and clear way. The Sherlockian in me is so happy right now!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. The opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.