Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Strong Female YA

COME the WIND by Alexander Edlund – Fantasy, War, Coming of Age Y/A

With Come the Wind—the second in his series, The Book of Banea—author Alexander Edlund creates a lush tapestry of fantasy, coming of age story that links the power of one woman to the skills and talents of all women.

Breea Banea, born to the Library of Limtir, became aware of her destiny as an Alach “weaver” or manipulator of etheric energies in A Woman Warrior Born, causing her to take up arms against the mysterious Oregule threatening her people. In Come the Wind we learn that the Oregule are in fact evil shapeshifters manipulated by an ancient enemy of Limtir. In her attempt to overcome the Oregule, Breea must free the regions they dominate. She will do so both as a warrior, and more reluctantly, as a queen, a role she adopts in order to recruit the Kultash and other peoples to her side in battle.

In her new role as “Chosen,” Breea, a natural leader, will meet war victims needing help, consider the possibly duplicitous priest, Duyazen, and convene with leaders of all the region’s armies whose support she needs, but who mistrust her new edict that women can fight alongside men. But most significantly perhaps, she is approached by a stranger who speaks her Limtir tongue and advises her of a great prophecy concerning “six Alach-born children who are destined each to destroy an Oregule. A child each of earth, wind, life, light, fire, and song.”

Unknown to Breea, even as this fateful prediction is uttered two of her own faithful followers, the lord Taumea and his companion Valenia are already on the trail of Alach sisters, Anila and Spe, who though young, display mighty powers not unlike those to which Breea herself is heir. Together they will take on the nefarious Oregule.

Edmund’s prose is potent, with no wasted words and many splendid ones. He celebrates Breea’s warrior nature along with her wisdom and the extraordinary abilities she has been given while showing her “human” failings and self-doubts for balance. She is always willing to take advice from her servant Dori and the refugee Simarn, who is proving herself to be as strong and fearless as her new queen. Though at times seeming burdened with holding together the fabric of his fantasy through every conceivable situation, Edlund is as faithful as he can be to the powers and limitations of every character and creature he has created. His book would benefit with a brief precis of the first volume in the series to bring the reader up to speed, even a glossary of terms would be useful. This is no slight – it is indicative of an exceptionally intricate world and readers will not want to miss a beat.

In this war and weapon-filled coming of age fantasy, one woman’s strengths and aspirations prove her worthiness as a leader. Exceptionally intricate world building and potent prose — readers will not want to miss a beat of this epic fantasy!

November 3, 2017
FRUIT of MISFORTUNE (Creatura #2) by Nely Cab – Science Fiction & Fantasy/Myth & Legends/Paranormal & Urban/Folklore

Fans of YA and supernatural fiction will not be disappointed with Fruit of Misfortune, Nely Cab’s second book in her Creatura series. It’s an adventurous romp through the paranormal with our heroine, Isis, a young woman whose destiny is intertwined with that of all humankind’s.

Isis is in a seemingly lovely place at the start of Fruit of Misfortune, flying with her adored and adoring boyfriend, David, to Greece to spend time with his family. Of course, all is not as it seems to be and therein lies the fun and the adventure. Eighteen-year-old Isis is only days away from transforming into a monstrous beast, the Creatura, and needs the help of David’s family, all of them Greek deities, to halt the mutation. They rise to the challenge by seeking out a doctor with cutting edge therapies and locating Isis’s long-lost father who knew how “special” his daughter was when she was born. While encountering demons and monsters, Isis will wonder repeatedly if she shouldn’t make life easier, and safer, for everyone by just calling it a day and ending her life.

While there’s plenty of intrigue and suspense, what makes this book positively hum with energy is Cab’s genius for characterization. Sure, Isis is on a quest to save herself and, by extension, the world, but she’s also a young woman, eighteen-years-old, who loves her boyfriend but can’t help being attracted to his friend, Eros (and with a name like that, who could blame her?). She has moments of insecurity about her looks, rails at her father for having been a dead-beat dad, makes friends with the splendidly blunt and spunky Galilea, and, oh, yeah, really misses her mom.

The dialogue is often humorous, full of quick-witted banter. There are references to The Exorcist, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Wednesday Adams. It’s easy to imagine ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ telling her friends, “I just read the coolest book about this chick named Isis.” While Isis will be very relate-able for young adult readers, she faces enough maturity issues in Book 2 to engage adult readers as well.

What also sets this book apart from the typical paranormal adventure is the impressive detail. Cab describes scenes in Greece with the expertise of a cultural anthropologist. Her writing is experiential; she makes the reader see, taste, and feel. When Isis undergoes the most bizarre of pregnancy tests, Cab manages to instill the scene with appropriately convincing details of the biological impact of the metamorphoses taking place in Isis’ body. Likewise, the author astutely chronicles a medical doctor’s reaction to patients with the most baffling symptoms. Such careful writing makes the pieces of her fiction fit together like an exquisite puzzle.

The book concludes at just the right moment. Some dire problems have been resolved while others are just beginning. That’s fine because we don’t want to say goodbye to Isis or her boyfriend and his divine family. We’ve come to love the whole gang and long to spend more time with them. You can do just that by starting the third book in the entertaining Creatura series.

Being eighteen-years-old can suck. Take heart readers, it’s not as if you’re eighteen and destined to turn into a monstrous beast! Nely Cab’s Fruit of Misfortune, Creatura #2 delivers everything you love about book one – and more. A must read for YA fans!”

April 20, 2017
ICE MASSACRE: Mermaids of Eriana Kwai Book 1 by Tiana Warner – a killer twist on mermaid lore

Action-packed battle scenes, complex, engaging characters and a “killer” twist on mermaid lore make this award-winning YA fantasy novel a captivating read.

For generations the people of Eriana Kwai have selected their best warriors for the “honor” of embarking upon an annual assault on the murderous creatures infesting the waters that surround their tiny island. Known as “The Massacres,” this ocean-bound tactical offensive pits 20 rigorously trained young men against the burgeoning army of mermaids that lay siege to the island’s fishing grounds, leaving starvation in their wake. But these are no ordinary mermaids, rather, they’re the Homeric sirens of Greek legend, handmaidens of death and destruction, hell-bent on annihilating the human population of Eriana Kwai.

With the men failing to return home, a new, unconventional fighting force is ready to take its place in history – a band of 20 young women. Immune to the sensuous allure of the mermaids, the women combatants have a more level battlefield.

Among the most promising of the new warriors is Meela, an intelligent, thoughtful eighteen year-old whose skills, when harnessed properly, are unsurpassed. But Meela has a secret locked deep within her heart, an Achilles’ Heel that threatens to undermine their “Massacre” and send her entire crew to a watery grave.

“Ice Massacre,” the first installment of author Tiana Warner’s “Mermaids of Eriana Kwai” fantasy series, introduces a rich and engaging cast of characters. From her main character, Meela, brimming with the fire and passion of her youth to Meela’s arch rival Dani, a self-professed leader with an ax to grind, the author artfully delivers characters that reflect all of the excitement as well as the internal emotional conflicts that drive a woman-child of eighteen. These are characters with whom the YA and NA reader can easily identify. Make no mistake this is not a children’s tale, but a gritty and riveting story of strong female warriors who can be relentless and cold-hearted. Expect graphic violence and brutality. Betrayal, fear, anger, coming-of-age turmoil, and rivalry are portrayed as the story unfolds.

The author’s use of older world weaponry and sailing ships rather than our current weapons and communications capabilities creates an odd juxtaposition of technological eras that actually works. Armed with hand-forged iron weaponry and crossbows the women warriors are akin to modern day vampire hunters, straddling two worlds, challenging the reader to step on board “The Bloodhound” and join Meela on her hunt.

In the tradition of “The Hunger Games,” bestselling author Tiana Warner weaves a clever story of resilience and determination in the face of deadly odds. With riveting battle scenes, complex, enduring characters and “killer” twist on mermaid lore this award-winning, action-packed fantasy novel that is sure to captivate.

May 21, 2016