Ghost Week, Pt. 3: Happy Halloween!

Believe it or not, it’s Halloween! Seems like the year is going extra fast right? Well, it is, but just because it’s soaring by, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. SoI'll write short in order to preserve your All Hallows Eve. I'm going to write about a creepy book that you all should curl up with tonight. Have sweet nightmares.

                Have you ever felt like someone is intruding in your life? It seems to be a prevalent feeling with step families, especially ones with teenagers in them. This is exactly where E.E. Richardson’s thriller, The Intruders starts out. Joel Demetrius is fine moving out of his familiar apartment and moving to an old house in the country with his new step family, but his sister, Cassie, is not. She’s convinced that nothing good comes of stepfamilies moving in together. She has no idea how right she is in this book.

                It seems the minute Cassie and Joel step into the house, there is something strange about it. Cassie is just convinced it’s Damon and Tim Wilder, not to mention Gerald, her new stepfather. Joel suspects something else when he sees an apparition of a kid jumping over their fence. Things start happening in the house soon. Things are being moved and spilled, and haunting visions of bloody scenes are coming to the youngest, Joel and Tim, in their dreams.

                Once Tim and Joel come clean about what they are experiencing, Damon and Cassie agree, for once, that those two are crazy or trying to pull a prank. So, jokingly, Cassie suggests a séance, and Damon, eager to prove himself unafraid against Cassie, volunteers to help. Later on they all go up and try to contact the spirit of a young boy whose spirit they believe may be trapped in the house. After a few things happen, and some haunting messages are shown, Cassie and Damon finally believe them.

                This book is so thrilling. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. There is nonstop creepiness, and so many things that made me make sure I wasn’t being watched. Between the bloody hallucinations, the boy repeating the Lord’s Prayer, the creepy self-locking closet, and the midnight séances, these kids have got a lot to deal with. This book has the creep factor of A Haunting in Connecticut, and a good writing style to begin with. Soak it up, ‘cause it’s a thriller night.

RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: 3 out of 5 on the writing scale. 5 out of 5 on the creep scale. I recommend it to mystery, ghost, and thrill book seekers.

MASS APPEAL: Anyone, and everyone, should and can read this book. It’s a middle school level book, so it’s easy to read. It’s short, too, so it’s fast to read. If you have nothing else to do tonight, read this book.

Buy this book. Trust me, it's good! Click Here!

Ghost Week, Pt. 2: Happy Día De Los Muertos!

Yes, I know that Día de los Muertos is Wednesday, but it will be over shadowed by All Souls Day.
Therefore, I will ‘celebrate’ it today, so get ready for another haunting blog on the dead and what they can do to you in the afterlife.

                I have finished Ruined by Paula Morris. In this book, Rebecca Brown has been plucked from New York City and sent to live with her estranged Aunt Claudia and cousin, Aurelia, in New Orleans. The city looks like any normal city at first, despite the devastation from Katrina, until she starts to learn the city’s tragic past. Filled with magic, voodoo, curses and diseases, New Orleans is anything but a normal town, and Rebecca is about to find out just how dangerous it can be for herself.

                Rebecca went to Helena Bowman’s party, and some strange things happen. First, she feels so bad because Anton’s friends, including Helena, are avoiding him because he’s with her, and she doesn’t really know many people. So Anton takes her outside, where they talk awhile and maybe share a smooch. But, before anything else can happen, Lisette, the ghostly girl only Rebecca seems to be able to see, shows up. Then Helena starts screaming that she sees the black girl outside, but nobody can see Lisette, right?

                As it turns out, The Bowman family can see Lisette, as well as Rebecca. She goes back to Claudia and tells her about it, where Claudia asks Rebecca if she had seen the ghost, and Rebecca lies. She learns more about what happened when she goes to see Lisette in the graveyard. Lisette tells her that she will tell her the story on a trip down to her mother’s old house, if Rebecca comes, which she does. Rebecca sneaks out later that week, eager to learn the story behind Lisette and how she ties with the Bowman’s.

                Lisette reveals that she was the daughter of Mr. Bowman, 155 years ago. Mr. Bowman died and left her a lot of money and a house in his will. Mrs. Bowman was furious and attacked Lisette, which caused her to fall and die. Her death was covered up by the Bowman’s lawyer and doctor, saying she died of Yellow Fever. When her mother came, she was told the same cover story, which she didn’t believe, so she placed a curse upon the Bowman family. It was a harsh curse and took all the strength out of Lisette’s mother, causing her to die shortly after. Rebecca is horrified by this story, but she doesn’t exactly want the Bowman’s fate to be carried out.

                This story has a crazy ending. It was a page-turning book that kept me exhilarated all the way to the end. I was fascinated by the way family ties can be intertwined so far back in history, and how they can be so deadly. I think this story shows very well the importance of telling the truth to avoid spirits and curses, but that might be a minor theme. This was a great book; everything I expected for a book with rave reviews from other amazing authors. A ghostly tale with a horrifying ending, and jam-packed with excitement and mystery; you’re going to love this book.

RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: 4 ½ out of 5 stars. This book kept me reading until the end, and I couldn’t put it down.

MASS APPEAL: This novel focuses on the viewpoint of a girl, so it may appeal to girls slightly more, but it’s so mysterious and exciting at the end that I think anyone would enjoy.

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Ghost Week, Part 1

Yes, welcome to Ghost Week. I will be writing about ghostly tales and spooky stories all through hallows-week. Some of these books’ haunts may turn out to be fakes, but most will be very real. Some will be friendly, and some evil and dangerous. If you’re ready for the haunted book lineup, then read along. But, beware, not every ghost story has a happy ending.

Have you ever felt completely out of place where you live? Whether it’s in your family, your school, community or a whole city, nothing feels right. Well this is how Rebecca Brown feels when she’s plucked from the heart of new York City, to New Orleans to live with her Aunt Claudia and cousin. I am talking about­­­­ Paula Morris’s novel, Ruined. In this book, Rebecca learns that there are different sides to every story, and sometimes, the only one you can believe is the one from beyond the grave.

Rebecca first has to meet her Aunt and cousin. Aunt Claudia is a strange woman who seems to dabble in voodoo and other things that outcasts her from the town. Her cousin Aurelia is a perky girl who loves gossip and knows a lot about the town, and what goes on under the surface. She also meets Aurelia’s best friend, Lucy, who is just as neurotic as Aurelia, but this comes in handy later in the book when she sneaks out of the house.

At school, Rebecca is instantly out casted for being an ‘outsider’, especially be queen of mean, Helena Bowman, her minion Marianne Sutton and her twin, Toby Sutton. She also has power over the ‘coolest’ guy at St. Simeon’s School, Anton grey, who takes an unusual liking to Rebecca. He talks to her at the café and takes her on a tour of the town. Rebecca might actually like him, if it wasn’t for his mean friends and Marianne’s affection towards him. But for some reason, Claudia is telling Rebecca to stay away from Anton, Helena and their group, and she won’t tell why.

                The strangest thing in this book, though, is when Rebecca goes to the graveyard. She is accidentally locked in and a beautiful black girl shows her the way out. Rebecca doesn’t realize that she was a ghost until the next time they talk. She reveals that her name is Lisette Villieux, and she’s been dead for over 150 years. When Helena and her gang break into the cemetery, Lisette tells her to hold hands, and when she does, the other teens don’t even see her. That is when she realizes she’s a ghost, and that she’s the only one who can see her. Lisette seems friendly enough, but there are some things she is hiding. Some dangerous things.

                This book is really interesting so far. I love the concept of Lisette and how she came to be in the graveyard. I also like how she stays there, but she seems to be able to leave. Helena throws a party, a little later I the book, which brings some surprises. You won’t be surprised in who’s her date, but what happens between them, might be a shock. But most surprisingly, the fact that Rebecca is not the only one who can see Lisette brings up a lot of questions.

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The Stravaganti Are Coming!

    There has been a lot of great reviews for the stravaganza series by British author, Mary Hoffman; and this is for good reason. With five exhilarating books so far in the series, Hoffman has done a wondrous job at capturing the adventure, and danger, of renaissance Italy, and its equivalent, Talia. I have already made my way through the series, as you may have read about in my earlier blogs, but the series is not over yet.

                Yes, as you may have realized, the fifth book is not the last book. Mary Hoffman has announced a sixth, City of Swords, book coming out in 2012. The stravaganti has been told to be Laura, who is Isabel and Ayesha’s friend. She appears in I City of Ships briefly as being a quiet and fragile girl. She was told to be feeling neglected by her friends always hanging out with Sky, nick and the other stravaganti in London, and was often left alone.

                The title of the book seems to suggest that the book takes place in Fortezza, the city of swords. It is known that Fortezza is a city under the control of the di Chimici, specifically old Jacopo di Chimici and his widowed daughter, Lucia. It is also suggested in the earlier books that Guido Parola, reformed assassin and protector of Silvia Rossi, is going to university there, so we may see him. It worries me that we may not see Luciano, since he cannot step foot on di Chimici territory, but I’m sure he will be in the book. Maybe we will see him finally marry Arianna, whose engagement has been dragged out for quite some time.

                I will be watching for the book next year, and will blog on it surely when it does come out. In the meantime, if you haven’t paid attention to the books, or haven’t gotten the information, here is a list of the cities in Talia, their title, and the Italian equivalent city. If you haven’t read the series yet, do so, because you won’t be disappointed.

Bellezza	City of Masks	Venice
Montemurato	City of Towers	Monteriggioni
Padavia	City of Secrets	Padua
Volana	City of Music	Ferrara
Bellona	City of Dreams	Bologna
Fortezza	City of Swords	Lucca
Classe	City of Ships	Ravenna/Classe
Giglia	City of Flowers	Florence
Moresco	City of Mermaids	Pisa
Remora	City of Stars	Siena
Romula	City of Dragons	Rome
Cittanuova	City of Fire	Naples

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Set Sail To Battle

I have finished the fifth book in the stravaganza series, City of Ships, by Mary Hoffman.  In this book, the main character, Isabel, is struggling with what she is doing in Talia. She has been thrust into a strange world that she knows nothing about, where she gets kidnapped by pirates. The only reasons she has made it this far, in my opinion, is because of the new friends she has made. In London, she has befriended the former stravaganti, Georgia O’Grady, Nick Duke, Sky Meadows and Matt Wood, her best friend Ayesha’s boyfriend. Even her new Talian friends help her realize what she has to do, and get through it.

                One extremely important thing that is happening in Talia is Doctor Dethridge’s fine work in stravagation. He has discovered a way to stravagate to any city in Talia, and he has decided to use Isabel as a lab rat. The others accompany her to a trip to their home city. First, Isabel decides to go to Remora and visit the stables and Merla. Even though Georgia has promised nick she wouldn’t stravagate again, she goes secretly with Isabel. They have a great time meeting Paolo and the kids and roaming the streets of Remora. But, eventually Nick finds out about their little journey.

                Obviously, Nick is upset and won’t talk to Georgia. In retaliation, he joins Isabel and Sky on a journey to their city, Giglia. She goes to Padavia with Matt afterwards, where she seems to have a better time than the others. The next time, she goes to Classe, and she decides to go pirating with Andrea, who even gives her his crew’s tattoo. They sail to Bellezza where she gets to see Arianna and Fillippo Nucci. Another person who is in Bellezza is Beatrice di Chimici, who is on the run from her controlling brother. The duke was forcing her to marry their cousin, so with the assistance of her brother, Prince Gaetano, and the Duchessa Arianna, she is safe in the city.

                This is good for Bellezza, but it bodes not so well for Classe. The duke was going to attack both the cities, but he won’t attack Bellezza while his darling sister is there, so Bellezza is safe. But now Classe is in the line of fire, and Bellezza is free to help them with all the naval support they can. Andrea is also serving as a double agent, giving the Talian cities info on the coming attack. Isabel is very concerned for her new friend, and doesn’t want him to be in such a dangerous position. Soon, though, she has her own dangerous position to worry about.

                This is an explosive ending. There is so much drama and action and horrifying imagery packed into the end that it blew my mind. The scenes that are depicted during the battle are terrifying and brutal, but what Isabel does is extraordinary. She is so brave throughout the battle and afterwards, it makes you wonder how she changed so much. Not to mention the difference in opinion of her brother Charlie after she saves him from being stuck in Victorian England. This is the best book in the series so far.

RED’S ALL ATAR REVIEW: 4 out of 5, possibly add a ¼ on that is I feel generous. It was a great book with lots of action and crazy suspense. I know I always say the next book is the best, but this one really is. It will be hard to beat.

MASS APPEAL: Same as the other books. Great for almost anyone who likes suspenseful fantasy and teen drama.

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When Pirates Raid The Ship

Have you ever looked at someone else and though, why can’t I be like them? The ‘perfect’ friend or sibling that no matter what you do, you can’t compete with. They are always ‘perfect’ and so everyone ignores you, or so it feels? This is exactly how Isabel Evans feels in the fifth stravaganza book by Mary Hoffman, City of Ships. As Isabel tries hard to compete with her brother, while secretly despising the fact that she’ll never be good enough, she stumbles across a strange artifact. It’s a small red velvet bag full of mosaic tiles. When Isabel falls asleep with it, she finds herself in a parallel version of medieval Italy called Talia. Beautiful and dangerous, Talia captures Isabel’s attention, and not in a good way, when bad things start to happen.

                Isabel is always comparing herself to Charlie. She’s a good student, but he’s brilliant; she is pretty, but Charlie is very handsome. Everything he does seems to make Isabel jealous. Their parents, however, pay the same attention to both and have never ‘liked’ one over the other, which Isabel thinks isn’t what they want to do. But Isabel has some good friends, like Ayesha, the girlfriend of book four’s hero, Matt. In coming to Talia she meets the other Talian stravaganti, Nick duke, Georgia O’Grady and Sky Meadows, who she has a silent crush on. But they can’t even help with what’s happening in her Talian city.

                Isabel stravagates to the independent city-state of Classe. Classe is full of art and ports and merchants who sell many beautiful things. Flavia, Isabel’s stravaganti, is a merchant whose goods keep getting stolen by pirates. She teaches Isabel about the city, and Isabel meets some important people. The Duke of Classe, Germano Mariano, the last son of the Nucci family, Fillippo, the Cavaliere of Bellezza and their Duchessa, Luciano and Arianna. Also, she meets, if not at first then later, the whole Bellezan Stravaganti gang, including Rodolfo, Doctor Crinamorte and Silvia.

                Bad things are brewing in Talia, though. The irrational Duke of Tuschia, Fabrizio di Chimici, is now placing a war upon his own country of Talia. He has made a pact with the Gate People, who live in the East and attack Talian vessels with pirates, to attack the cities of Bellezza and Classe. He figures that when the gate people win the war and take over those cities, they will just hand them over to Fabrizio. But others think that if he lets the Gate People conquer those cities, they won’t stop until they have all of Talia. The Grand Duke is also pushing a marriage unto his sister, Beatrice, to marry his cousin, Fillippo di Chimici. Beatrice doesn’t want to marry Fillippo, but she doesn’t want to disobey her brother, so she silently agrees, but she runs away soon after. The Duke’s brother, Gaetano, who is good friends with the Duchessa of Bellezza, tells Beatrice to go there. This actually might save the cities, though.

                This book, so far, has probably my favorite beginning. All of this action happens in the first half, and I didn’t even mention some things. Like how Isabel gets kidnapped by a pirate named Andrea, who turns out to have a connection to one of the Stravaganti. It’s very exciting, and has a good pace. There aren’t as many places where I just want to skip ahead; I mainly want to keep reading so I can find out what happens next. Don’t skip either, when you read this, you will miss out on so many details that explain things. Oh, and if you haven’t had enough of Doctor Dethridge’s old English yet, there will be a lot more where it came from, especially later in the book(yes I read ahead, and you don’t want to miss my next post).

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Burning The Secrets Away

I have finished the forth Stravaganza City of Secrets by Mary Hoffman, and was I wrong about that ending. There is a lot that happens at the end of this book, but I digress. Back to the beginning, where matt has just transported to Talia, which I’m sure by now you are familiar with and I don’t need to repeat what it is. In this book, we are in the beautiful independent city-state Padavia, where there is a university that prints many books. It seems like a nice enough city with no trouble, but on the inside there are things happening that we twenty-first centurions could barely imagine. It seems that the Stravaganti are going to have to save the day, again.

                Matt wood is the newest stravaganti recruit and he is probably, besides Luciano, my favorite. It’s because he’s not perfect at all. The other stravaganti from Modern London have barely ever screwed up in Talia, with the slight exception of Luciano and Georgia’s solo stravagation with Nick Duke, the amount that Matt does. He messes up a lot by using his anger and jealousy against someone else. The evil eye spell, which causes endless damage, that Matt learned about was put on his girlfriend’s ex, Jago, without Matt even knowing he did it. Not to dismiss him, he did try to put it on Jago even though he thought it wouldn’t happen, but it doesn’t matter, because now Jago’s in the hospital and Ayesha’s bound to find out what Matt has done.

In Padavia, a few surprising things have happened. First, Enrico has changed sides and is now a firm working spy for Luciano and the Stravaganti. After finding him, smelly and wishing he was dead for what he’s done, they take him to their place and hose him down. They feed him and Enrico tells them why he quit working for the vial di Chimici’s. Second, a Manoush boy named Ludo, cousin of Aurelio and Raffaella, has come to Luciano with a warning to beware of the heir. This confused Luciano earlier, but now he gets to see the true answer, and yes, it is one of the di Chimici princes.

That same di Chimici prince seeks out Luciano for a trap. Rodolfo and the Dottore have concluded that it is a trap and tell Luciano not to go. He says he has to go or it would be an insult and they would hate him more. Matt perks up and says that he’ll go with the message that Luciano can’t make it. Rodolfo puts a glamour on him to make him look like Luciano for a small amount of time. This works on the street, but backfires once he gets to the prince’s place. Matt is held hostage and some terrible things happen because of it, especially now that they took his talisman and he can’t get home.

That isn’t even the craziest part, the ending could be deemed better if you like action and suspense. All I will say is that the stravaganti must fight to save the lives of many innocent people because Antonio is too stubborn to repeal the laws. It is so horrible what could have happened, but as always in a good book, it all ends up ok. Maybe not the best, but good enough to leave something for the next book, which was been released last year. I look forward to this book, and whoever the new characters are going to be.

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RED'S ALL STAR RATING: 3 and a half out of 5. Well written, a lot of teen drama mixed with actual life threatening problems. I relate to the characters a lot.

MASS APPEAL: Same as the other books, a lot more stuff for guys than some of the first books in the series. Still a recommendation for anyone, in my opinion.

A Book Of Secrets

Have you ever felt like you don’t really belong in your family? Maybe it’s the way they look, act or even the talents that they have, that you just don’t. It’s frustrating feeling like the black cloud of the family, which Matt Wood has felt forever in Mary Hoffman’s City of Secrets. The forth Stravaganza book takes place in the small independent city-state of Padavia. Though it’s far from the di Chimici Empire, there is still a lot at stake here. Many things are going wrong and seemingly setting up for the greatest disaster yet, but can Matt’s Talian friends save the day?

First, In Talia, things are thick after the last book. The new di Chimici Grand Duke, Fabrizio, is out to get Luciano, who he believes to have killed his father. Luciano did not, since it was a duel, and besides that, the old duke Niccolo cheated by poisoning one of the blades that eventually was switched and killed him. So after fleeing Giglia, and proposing to his sweetheart, the Duchessa of Bellezza, he has been sent to Padavia to study at the university where he will be safe. But, Arianna, his fiancée, is still worried that trouble will come to him even in a free state, especially when he’s so far away.

Back in London, it is Matt’s birthday and he is given another book token by his senile aunt. The thing is, Matt can’t read. It’s not that he’s incompetent, he’s just severely dyslexic, and can read simple sentences or words. He’s also weighed down by the fact that his younger brother is ‘perfect’ and scared that his also ‘perfect’ girlfriend, Ayesha, might not want to be with him because he’s not good enough. But once he goes to Talia, and masquerades as Matteo Bosco, a printer in the university’s scriptorium, he meets new people there and back home that allow him to just be who he is, not to mention that in Talia Matt can read.

Bad things are brewing in Padavia though. The grand Duke knows that Luciano is in Padavia and makes a request to the governor, Messer Antonio, but Antonio simply says that he disagrees with him, and the old Duke died by his own hand. Fabrizio doesn’t like this so he passes a series of anti-magic laws in all the cities in his empire that are against any occult practices and the old religion that follows the goddess. The Duke’s cousin, Cardinal Rinaldo di Chimici goes to Padavia and presents the laws, and Messer Antonio passes them. But his own wife follows the goddess and won’t convert or hide it, and an entire race of people, the Manoush, are visiting the city and they also follow the goddess. Antonio isn’t budging about the laws either, and so if he finds out about the Manoush in his city, he will be forced to push the penalty on them; death.

This book is really good so far. There is a slower start than some of the others, not a lot of action in the first few chapters, but I bet it will get much better. I predict that some of the things mentioned in the first half, like the evil eye Matt has an interest in, Arianna’s visits and the new magic laws are going to cause a lot of trouble, and a lot of grief to the people of Talia and Padavia. I hope Messer Antonio won’t find the Manoush and if he does, which I bet he will, I hope that he changes his mind before too much happens. Hopefully this ending won’t be as terrifying as the last book’s ending.

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The Deadly Sweet Smell Of Flowers

I have finished book 3 of the Stravaganza series by British author, Mary Hoffman. In City of Stars, bad things are happening in the city of Giglia, a beautiful city of wealth where the ruling di Chimici family lives. If you haven’t found out yet, Giglia is not a city in our world, but a parallel world in a country called Talia, which seems to be just like our Italy. But, even though it is just as beautiful, it is far more dangerous, and will put all of the people in Giglia to the test. But with all the danger that is bound to unfold in the di chimici’s city, will there be a way out of the danger?

Sky Meadows, (again, laugh and get it out of your system) is an extraordinarily kind boy who cares for his very ill mother. It is such a burden, but it all changes when a mysterious perfume bottle whisks Sky away to the city of Giglia, where he is disguised as a friar by Brother Sulien, his new mentor. In the city many new things happen to change Sky’s life. The first thing is he meets a boy from his world in Talia who died and now lives there permanently.

Luciano Crinamorte, as he’s known by now, becomes good friends with Brother Celestino, Sky’s Talian name, and introduces him to Prince Gaetano of Giglia. He is one of the di Chimici princes, but unlike his horrible, cruel father, Gaetano is very friendly and becomes great friends with Sky as well. He meets an orphan boy named Sandro, who he befriends, along with his dog, Fratello. But some bad things are happening as well, Davide Nucci, the youngest son of the di Chimici’s most rivaled family, has been murdered. It is also revealed that Camillo Nucci, the eldest son, is the one who poised the Grand Duke Niccolo di Chimici, Gaetano’s father.

Back home some pretty good things are happening, though. Sky has made some new good friends, former Stravaganti, Georgia and Nick. He is also friends, and maybe more, with Georgia’s best friend, Alice. Nick starts to give Sky fencing lessons, which he enjoys very much; he is also going horseback riding a little bit with Georgia and Alice. His mother, Rose, is becoming better and is even going places on her own, including to Alice’s house in the country and becoming friends with Paul, Alice’s father. Things seem to be going good, for now.

The scenes toward the end are incredible. There is so much more action in this book than the last two combined, in my opinion. The sword fighting, espionage and the duels are so intense. It is sad, though, for how many people die in this book, and how much blood is spilt over hatred of another person or family. The Duke comes to a rather deserved point, and the di Chimici family should learn their lesson because of it. The other standouts are Barbara, the Duchessa of Bellezza’s maid, Guido Parola plays a big part in the end, Enrico changes the tide of the war, and Luciano barely escapes with his life, again. One thing in for sure, this book will not be easily forgotten with all of the intensity and thrill.

RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars, deserved. Mary Hoffman put so much detail in and made it an incredible page-turner with an explosive ending. This book is phenomenal compared to the others in the series.

MASS APPEAL: it doesn’t matter. Everyone should read this series now; I am convinced it is awesome. So don’t ask questions, buy the series, read the books and thou shalt be entertained.

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If Only Life Were A Bouquet Of Flowers

What would you do if one of your family members became really sick? So sick, in fact, that they could not care for themselves and needed everything to be done for them. Would you be able to take care of this person, and not give up on your dreams? Well this is what Sky has to go through in the third stravaganza book by Mary Hoffman called City of Flowers. In this installation, another teen from modern day London, England finds himself whisked away to a strange parallel world called Talia, which is similar to our Italy. But this time there is a lot of danger in store for the stravaganti being threatened by the vengeful Duke Niccolo.

In England, a young colored boy named Sky Meadows (go ahead and laugh at his name) takes care of his sick mother. I’m still not sure what is making Rose Meadows so sick, but it seems to have good days and, on bad days, she can’t even get out of bed. But Sky had learned to make dinner and wash dishes and do all the chores in the house and take care of his mother without complaining. Sure he wants to be more normal, but he knows he has to take care of Rose. Sky’s father, as you’ve probably noticed, is not around. He is a famous rock star in America whop sky has never, and never wants, to meet. But his mother insists that he should see him sometime.

When Sky finds a small perfume bottle, he is intrigued by it and takes it home. That night he falls asleep with it in his hands and is amazingly transported to Talia. He wakes up in Saint-Mary-Among-the-Vines, a friary in the city of Giglia, known for its flowers, perfumes and the powerful ruling di Chimici family. He is awaken and soon meets Brother Sulien, the head friar, who is his stravaganti instructor. He throws on a novice robe and Sulien gives him the Talian name closest to Sky, which is Celestino, to go by when he’s in Talia. Sky goes along with it because he thinks it’s a dream, until the people in Talia mention things that they shouldn’t know.

The next day, sky sits at the same table as Nick Duke and Georgia O’Grady, two former stravaganti who have since given it up. When they are alone, she quickly mentions nick’s Talian name and surprises Nick and Georgia. They meet up after school to talk about it. Sky reveals that he went to Giglia, Nick’s city, and nick asks him a lot of questions. He learns that Lucien Mulholland, a boy from their school who died of cancer a few years ago, is in fact not dead at all. He is alive in Talia, in the lagoon city of Bellezza, and will be coming to Giglia very soon. Sky is very interested in meeting him.

This is another good installment in the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman. This time around though, there are some interesting characters, along with old ones. Enrico, or the Eel as he’s known by, is still spying for the duke Niccolo, with his young apprentice Sandro, an orphan boy. Sandro quickly bonds with Sky and after a few events like the Duke’s poisoning and the murder of someone important, he learns where his loyalties lie. Sky has also met Gaetano, the Duke’s son, and good friend to the stravaganti. Gaetano asks how Georgia and Nick are, and after some bad things happen, he decides to teach Sky and Luciano how to fence. Trust me; this will come in handy sometime.

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Gliding Through The Stars

I have finished Mary Hoffman’s second book City of Stars and the adventures keep on coming. Georgia O’Grady, a London teenager with a bad life at home, is mysteriously transported at night to a wonderful place called Talia. Much like Renaissance Italy, she marvels at the strange way people live without modern technology and especially how they get around on horses, being interested in them herself. But as she sees the amazing features, she realizes under the beautiful sites, there lies a Talia that is extremely dangerous. One that people lie, cheat, steal, spy and sometimes murder in order to get their way. Georgia is bound for trouble, but will new friends in Talia, and in London, keep her out of danger?

Several amazing things have happened in Remora, the city in Talia that Georgia stavagates, or travels, to. Prince Gaetano di Chimici has been sent by his father, the Duke, to ask the hand of the Duchessa of Bellezza, Arianna Rossi. Gaetano is also friends with Luciano Crinamorte, her father’s assistant and her favorite. While in Bellezza, Gaetano, who is described as very ugly, meets with Arianna, but is also surprised when another family member who he is very close to shows up at Arianna’s palazzo. He wants to spend more time with this person instead of the Duchessa, who he has become great friends with.

After a while, the Duchessa of Bellezza comes to the twelfth of Ram in Remora. She is a young, beautiful, elegant woman to Georgia, and secretly is a little jealous of her. She is excited to see the new Stravaganti, Giorgio Gredi, that’s Georgia’s Talian name, but surprisingly is not as excited to see Luciano. Arianna is Luciano’s best friend since he came to Bellezza, even before she was the Duchessa, and he wanted her a little happier to see him. She is also greeted warmly by Gaetano and his father, the Duke Niccolo of Giglia, but this was the family that tried to kill her mother, the former Duchessa, and to the public knowledge, did.

Speaking of her mother, Silvia and the Regent Rodolfo, who is her father, are also in Remora. Falco di Chimici, Gaetano’s younger brother, has come to Luciano and Georgia with a wild request that will be dangerous and get everyone into much trouble. The Duke’s spy, Enrico, has come to Remora after his Fiancée disappeared and is doing things her shouldn’t do, and he is very close to finding out the Ram’s secret. Merla is a black, winged, foal that was born just weeks ago, and is in hiding up at another person’s stables out of the city. But will Enrico find her, and what will he do with her if he does?

This is a little faster paced than the first book, I think. There isn’t a whole lot more action, but there are things that make you want to turn the pages or look ahead. I know it is tempting, but don’t look! The book is better if you are surprised, because you will be wondering what in the world these people are thinking. I know I was, right up until the end, which is also a face-palm ending. I am so thankful to Mary Hoffman for this series and this installment in it. It pleases every kind of person from the fantasy person to the sci-fi fan to the normal teenage book geek. With all the danger and action, a beautiful setting, a great storyline and such lovable characters (my personal favorite is either Cesare), this book is a major keeper. It also makes me reach for the next book . . .

RED’S ALL-STAR REVIEW: If a great historical-fantasy is like an apple pie, then this series is a Boston Crème. 3 ½ star easy, and bound to get better.

MASS APPEAL: As I think I’ve mentioned before, this is great for a lot of people. If you like: history, Renaissance, Italy, horses, espionage and kidnapping, mythology, and/or the concept of time travel, this book is practically calling you name. Listen to it, the books know best.

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Secrets In The Stars

Have you ever had a dream that you could do something amazing? So fantastic that people cheer and love you? But then you awake and something is pulling you down, and you just can’t get up. This is how Georgia O’Grady feels in book two of the stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman, City of Stars. She lives in modern day London, or close to it. But Georgia finds a whole new side of life when she goes to sleep and awakens in a horse stable in Talia. Talia is an equivalent to our Renaissance Italy, and is just as beautiful as it is dangerous. As Georgia meets new people, including someone she knows to be dead, some powerful di Chimici princes, a beautiful young duchessa, and a sly spy for the Duke of Giglia, Niccolo di Chimici. It won’t be easy to get out of Talia unscathed this time.

At home in London, Georgia has no friends. She doesn’t do any activities besides riding horses, and she isn’t amazing in school either. Her mother is remarried to a man who has a teenage son, older than her. Ralph is horrible to her; he treats her like she’s nothing, and makes sure she thinks the same, too. She is always being emotionally hurt by him, and he always does things just to get at her. The only time Georgia is at peace is when she’s gone from him, or when he’s at sport’s practice. And now, she can get away from him at night and go to Remora, a fascinating city of horses and rivalries, very similar to our Sienna.

Upon arriving in Talia, she learns a few things. First, her short hair gets her mistaken for a boy by the horse master, Paolo, and his son, Cesare, and so she is named Giorgio Gredi in Talia. Second, she meets the secret prize of Paolo’s stables, a black winged-horse named Merla. Merla is not very old, but she is already slightly big, and has her beautiful pair of glossy black wings stretched out along her back. Georgia is amazed by Merla, and is entrusted with this secret by Paolo and Cesare. She also learns that Remora is split into twelve sections; all named after its representative city’s astrological sign. Georgia is in the twelfth of Ram, the section owned by Bellezza, which is like Venice.

The most disturbing things though are right out in the open because they are people. The Duke Niccolo di Chimici is visiting Remora for the Stellata, the annual horse race that means everything to Talians. He is a snake that hates stravaganti and Bellezza. So naturally when he drops in the Ram’s stables, nobody wants him to see Merla.  Another thing she can’t get her head around at first is when she sees Luciano. When she sees him at first, she faints and accidentally stravagates back home. In Georgia’s world, Luciano is dead, but he is alive in Talia. She has no idea how it’s possible, but she doesn’t care as long as he is alive.

This is really good so far. There are so many twist and turns, like the ones with Falco and Gaetano, and Niccolo’s nephew Rinaldo. There’s always Enrico sneaking around, spying for the Duke, and there are some familiar people. Doctor Dethridge and Rodolfo are in the background and I’m sure wherever Rodolfo is, Silvia will be as well; accompanied by Guido and maybe Susanna. Arianna is going to be in it as well, but hopefully there won’t be as much danger to her mother, and hopefully Luciano will be safer this time around. Only one way to find out though, so I’ll keep reading and let you guys know what I find.

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The Eyes Behind The Mask

I have finished the first book in the stravaganza series, City of Masks, by Mary Hoffman. In the book, Lucien Mulholland, a teenager in London, is transported overnight to the world of Talia. Talia is a version of Renaissance Italy, but there are strange differences, like how silver is valued instead of gold, and how when it’s day in Talia, it is night in our world. He learns to stravagate, the art of going through time, from his world to Talia, while he meets some strange new people including a girl who dresses like a guy, an elegant duchessa, an Elizabethan chemist, one of the powerful di Chimici family’s cousins, and a reformed assassin. But which of these people will protect him from danger, and which ones will put him in the line of fire?

Some crazy things are happening in Talia. First, Lucien thinks he is being followed by someone. Through the streets when he’s exploring with Arianna, and when he’s with his instructor, Rodolfo, there is that eerie feeling of being watched. It is revealed that Silvia, the Duchessa of Bellezza, has had someone follow him and Arianna, but which one this person is after, we don’t know. But this is not the only one following Lucien or his friends. A dirty spy named Enrico has been paid by Rinaldo di Chimici to follow Luciano, his Talian name, Arianna and the Duchessa.

It all comes to extremes when the Duchessa has an attempt on her life. While a ceremony is taking place, the Duchessa wisely chose her maid to be her decoy while she was in a Gondola below on the canal. But someone found out that this duchessa was not herself, but a duplicate. This assassin held a dagger to the real Duchessa’s throat, but seemed like he couldn’t do it. Good thing Luciano had just come up from a dive in the canal to find this assassination attempt. He sopped the assassin with the help of the gondolier, Marco.

The duchessa rewards Luciano, but since he can’t take it back to his world, he leaves it in Talia before he stravagates back. Speaking of his own world, things are not settling well there either. Another doctors’ appointment is coming up, and Lucien is worried his cancer, yes cancer, will come back stronger. He seems to be so much stronger in Talia then in his world, but ever since his first stravagation, he has seemed more alive in both. He no longer has to work hard just to finish a sandwich, or swallow his food. He is strong enough to take a trip to Italy with his parents, to see the equivalent of his beloved Talia. But, this high can’t last for long.

The ending of this book is pretty crazy. I felt so sad for the things Lucien had to go through, and the fact that it doesn’t quite end well. But it’s alright for him. He gained his family, and maybe another along the way. It seems that during his Talian escapades, he got very close with Arianna, who has a huge turnout herself. She goes from being an island girl to an important role in Bellezzan politics. It doesn’t fare so well with the old Duchessa, or Rinaldo, or Luciano for that matter. But it ends up pretty good by the end, and I have no doubt that it will simply get better. This is a good book, and a pleasing start to what I think will be a fantastic series. There are five books in the series so far, but more can always be added. So if you’re up for a long challenge, like reading Doctor Dethridges’ old English, than you should read this series.

RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: This book gets a solid 3 out of 5 stars. It didn’t have a ton of action, but it was so fascinating with the theme of renaissance Italy. This one’s a keeper.

MASS APPEAL: This book is good for anyone. Guys, girls, adults even; anyone who’s interested in medieval Italy should definitely give this a try.

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