My rating:

Connor knows there's something really wrong with his Mom—she keeps going into trances, freezing in place while her eyes look out desperately at him. Each time she goes into a trance, the trance lasts a little longer, and gets worse. Not only that, his mother has been acting strange—throwing out all their TVs, computers, and cell phones, cutting down her job, and trying to make their family act like a family.

All this started ever since Connor found a book of paintings with a woman who looks just like his mother. Only the paintings were painted before his mother was even born.

Connor tries to help his mom, and ends up going back in time to face the painter who painted his mother in the 1920s, and the family who took her in for a while. Connor strives to figure out what is controlling his mother, and how to stop it before it's too late.

Connor is a true hero of his own story, just as a main character should be. He works to save his mother and his family, and face evil even when it scares him. I found myself drawn into the story world, and was rarely ever jarred out. There was a strong forward movement to the story, created by all the questions, pulling me on; I wanted to understand why things were happening.

However, many of the characters did not feel fully developed, most especially Connor's sister, parents, and the family he stays with. But this can almost be overlooked in the enjoyment of the story.

There were a few unbelievable moments in the story, that pulled me out of it—the mother acted almost evil or like another person in the beginning of the book, and this did not fit with what we later learned about her. I found this particularly jarring. I also didn't believe the painter would leave his room at the crucial moment that Connor needed him to, or that it would take Connor so long to figure out what had happened. But aside from those things, I remained firmly in Reiss' story world.

The barrenness of Connor's present-day family life, with his rushed, stressed parents who hardly have time to talk to him and his sister, or eat with him, contrasted very nicely with the family Connor visited in the 1920s, where rich food, conversation and laughter, and time spent together was the norm.

-Added February 08, 2005.

My rating:

Chris Mallen is being brought up by his father, and his father's new girlfriend, Poppea. Chris' father and Poppea, both artists, offer Chris love and safety. But when Poppea leaves suddenly, without working things out, Chris' father starts to withdraws, and Chris is left alone more.

Chris, like so many others in his English town, is fascinated by the miniature sculptures that another artist, Ernst Eckmann, creates. Chris starts to spend a lot of time at Ernst's gallery. But one day when Chris is looking at one of the tiny, perfect sculptures, a little ballerina, he sees it move, dance, even breathe, before it falls. It looks so real—and it almost reminds him of someone.

When Chris' father suddenly disappears, Ernst Eckmann takes him in. Chris is relieved he won't be put out on the street—but he is unhappy, too; constantly looking and waiting for his father, who he knows loves him, and would never leave him if he could help it. Chris continues to observe, watch, and learn, and he finally discovers the horrifying truth about the sculptures.

The story is laid out as a manuscript that Chris wrote as an adult, and left for his scientist colleague to read, if he ever disappears. The opening and closing chapters are written by his colleague. Although this is supposed to be Chris' story, we learn a lot about Ernst, and are drawn into the mind and emotions of that very twisted man.

This is an intriguing, frightening story. The reader becomes intensely interested in what happens to the characters, and this need to know pulls the reader right along. There are many insights—insights that the reader is allowed to see, and insights that the reader is told. At times, there is too much telling.

The plot is interesting, the story is well written, but at times the many characters and their viewpoints is jarring. As well, the perspective of the character in the beginning and ending wraps of the book is not believable; we know he has read the whole manuscript, yet is not urged to action or belief, as we are.

This is a chilling book, yet hope-filled at the end, showing us the importance of love. However, there is complex book with a lot of pain and fear throughout it; if you do not like to be truly frightened, you may not want to pick up this book. A good read—but be prepared to be frightened.

-Added February 17, 2004.

My rating:

Teen-aged Cal is ashamed of and deeply angry with his alcoholic, abusive mother who sometimes hears things other people don't. In an attempt to escape the sadness, poverty, and pain of his two-person family, Cal takes a train ride to his unaffectionate uncle, who has offered him a place to stay and a job. However, hungry, tired, and confused from the long ride, Cal gets off at the wrong train stop—and is forced to stay at an expensive hotel and dine with rich guests, including a pain-filled man named Bron. During the dinner, Cal experiences a vision, and, worried that he is becoming psychotic like his mother, he refuses to acknowledge what he has seen to Bron. When he wakes up the next morning, the expensive, bustling castle has turned into an empty ruin, and Cal begins a long journey trying to find that castle and those people again. Along the way, he meets other people who are attempting to do the same thing.

That journey is a magical and emotional one, where the past world is woven here and there into Cal's present, and he is confronted, over and over, with the past and the need to make things right. Through Cal's struggle, he finally finds what he's looking for—but it's not without cost. This is the best kind of fantasy—one that speaks to the reader on many levels. The story is a modern interpretation of the Grail Legend, but you don't need to know anything about King Arthur to enjoy and fall in love with this great book.

This is a gripping, exciting read. The characters are believable and well-rounded, there is a strong sense of setting and time, and there is an emotional depth to this story that will leave readers satisfied. Cal's mothers' apparent craziness is woven expertly into the story, as is the slow unfolding of the truth. Cal especially is a character that readers will come to know like a friend, through his shared emotions, memories, and desires. His reactions and attempts to deal with the affects of poverty and abuse are very believable, as are his desires to escape those things and find a place to belong. Pain is balanced well with healing, as is magic with the everyday world. Masterful, talented writing and a great understanding of emotion and plot make this book a winner. This is a story that will stay with you a long time.

-Added August 26, 2003

My rating:

Daine is gifted with a special talent—she can communicate with animals—all animals—and understand them. She can also make them do her will, though she prefers to ask them to help her. She recently lost her family in a raid, so she travelled from her small village with her pony, where she gets a job with the royal headmistress herding ponies to Tortall—a city where girls have as much chance at boys to become a knight, a horse trainer, or whatever they want to become.

The headmistress and royal family soon realize that Daine is very talented and full of magic, although it takes Daine longer to realize and accept this. Daine always felt like a failure, because she didn't have the kind of magic her mother and many commoners had. But what she didn't know is that her Wild Magic is much stronger and more powerful than anyone alive—and her magic will ultimately help save a kingdom. With the help of a royal sorcerer, Daine learns how to channel and enhance her powerful magic—and she slowly heals the wounds inside her.

A great read with humor, a touch of romance, lots of magic, and emotional depth. This book is captivating and emotional, with a strong, likeable girl hero, and lots of adventure. This is my top favorite book in this series (yes! there are more books about Daine!).

My rating:

Princess Cimorene is a strong-willed princess who will not be tied down by convention. Not for her, embroidery and etiquette—no, Cimerene likes fencing, Latin, magic, and learning. But every time she tries to do things that appeal to her, she's told that princesses—read girls—don't do that. Then comes the day that her parents want to force her into marriage. Cimorene runs away, and is "captured" by some dragons (she goes willingly), where she has adventure, faces danger, and comes into herself.

This book (and the rest in this series) is a light and enjoyable read (if somewhat fluffy), that turns traditional fairy tales and stereotypes on their heads, and has a lot of fun along the way. Features a strong female hero. This is book one of a series.

My rating:

Wren and her best friend Tess are both orphans—or so Wren always thought. Then Wren finds out that Tess is really a princess in disguise—and almost immediately following that, Tess is kidnapped, and Wren goes off to rescue her. Along the way, Wren makes some friends, and discovers she has magic talent.

I found it disappointing that Wren's magical talent, which for much of the book had the promise of being stronger than most others', fizzled out in the last third of the book, and Wren went from being the hero to not really being one. For me, that took away some of the power of the book, and this is true even more so in the rest of the Wren series. However, I still really like the book. The writing is mostly very strong, the characters are complete and real and likeable (or dislikeable). It's an enjoyable read, and the last part of the book shouldn't disuade you from reading it. You'll really feel for and root for the characters.