Me on Flash Reviews (2)

I have a lot of e-galleys to review and I figured I'd read a couple and give a quick review instead of a longer one like I usually write, mostly because these were books I was only mildly interested in (no offense). It's possible that in the future, I'll come back and write longer reviews, but I don't know when that'll be. So, here are two quick reviews on Witchlanders by Lena Coakley and Fury by Elizabeth Miles.

Title: Witchlanders
Author: Lena Coakley
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (S&S imprint)

Not my usual cup of tea but still an enjoyable read. Refreshing to find a YA fantasy novel with a male protagonist. Should appeal to fans of fantasy novels with magic and witches and two sides to every story but always connected.

The book summary is a bit misleading, less of the strange girl and more magic and Ryder needing to figure things out, but still an interesting book.

Characters were interesting, action scenes moved smoothly enough, and the twists and surprises kept me reading.

No rating this time (on Goodreads) because while I enjoyed it, I don't often read high fantasy like this book is and so I don't think the rating I would honestly give it would be fair. I will say that I enjoyed it, that I liked the world-building and the legends that the author has created, that I liked the characters and the struggles they had, how it was never easy for Ryder. Struggle builds character.

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse (S&S imprint)

It has an interesting premise, I'll give it that. Two teens make some mistakes and so the Furies of Greek mythology are there to teach them a lesson. It is a fresh twist on something old and makes it more than a little dark and mysterious.

I'm still unsure of Emily, and of any character who has a crush on her best friend's boyfriend and doesn't try harder to stay away from him. Cheating happens, situations like this happen, but it rarely ends with everyone all smiles and sunshine. Em knows it's wrong, clearly, but where's the resistance?

People make mistakes all the time, some that can be fixed easily and some that can ruin a person's life. What if there was someone who went around righting wrongs, punishing the liars and the criminals and the bullies? What if learning a lesson was deadly? What if karma was real, that we get what we give?

This book is right. Sometimes sorry isn't enough.