kckathexes

About Miles Morales: Spider-Man

Title: Miles Morales: Spider-Man
Author: Jason Reynolds
Published by Marvel Press
Year: 2017
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 273
Language: English
ASIN: B071723XCR
Dates Read: 2022, November 17 to November 20

Not only are there superhero comics, but there are prose novels as well. There are several Marvel young adult fiction superhero novels that seem interesting. This one was very highly rated. Honestly, I’ve never read Spider-Man comics. I know about Miles Morales from the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and the Spider-Man animated series that aired from 2017 to 2020.

In this novel, I liked the vibrant portrayal of his parents, his best friend, and his home life. One of the things that I appreciated the most is the spirituality and religion. To read this in superhero fiction is a rare experience for me. Usually and lately, young characters in animated series, movies, and fiction books are portrayed as living in a secular vacuum: religion is never mentioned and spirituality has no effect on their culture and values. It seems that when organized faith is mentioned nowadays, it’s associated with something negative- fanaticism and anti-progress. I appreciated the mother being a loving, devout Catholic who makes her son attend mass with her. Although Miles does seem to be nominal Catholic, he does not portray the faith negatively, and I do cherish this realistic religious flourish.

This book is extremely detailed about Mile’s school life and classes. Miles is basically emo the whole novel, and half of the novel, it’s like you are taking the class assignments along with Miles and classmates. Peter Parker is not in this novel. Mile’s father, best friend, and the main superpowered villains know his secret identity. The uncle knew as well because it was partly his reason that Miles received the spider bite in the first place. Throughout the story, he constantly has flashbacks and premonitive dreams about his uncle’s death and weird stuff leading up to the confrontation with the villain.

I thought the villain was going to be a notable character in the Marvel universe, but I had no idea who this guy was. I think that he is an original villain crafted by Reynolds. There is no deep explanation of the villain. If I go by his book description, he’s basically a zombie version of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America. Reading this book. I see that the author is trying to show the importance of education and trying to overcome obstacles in your path to success. He wants to show the social influences and war shaping America when it comes to helping and not hindering black youth.

There are no more than a dozen mild cuss words and less than a handful of Christ’s name taken in vain, although I had hoped that the language would have been cleaner. Also, there is some coarse talking and mild violence.
This book was okay, but I expected more action and less brooding from Miles and company, but there were a few funny moments.

Thoughts on The Oddling Prince

Title: The Oddling Prince
Author: Nancy Springer
Published by Tachyon Publications
Year: 2018
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 288
Language: English
ASIN: B083G69DWZ
Dates Read: 2022, November 4 to November 11

This is the first book I’ve read by Nancy Springer. I’m trying to find books to read in the fantasy genre that are standalone. Many of her books are not on Kindle, and she has been writing for decades. So many of her books seem like gripping reads. I could not get this book’s blurb out of my head, so I decided to read it.

The chapters are like – “Chapter the First….Chapter the Fourth…”- I’ve never seen that before; that’s amusing. I thought that the fey were fairies like Tinker Bell, but in this story, they are like elves. The brother Albaric is a beautiful fey boy, even after becoming mortal. He is an oddling in both the place he left and in the mortal world because of parentage and circumstances. He feels like an outcast, but his half brother cares for him deeply, comforts him, and attempts to help him find peace.

Aric has nothing but love for his sibling and constantly expresses this in word and deed. Throughout the novel, these siblings are really touchy-expressive, and there is quite a bit of hand holding and hugging. While I really appreciated the profound affection that Aric had for his fey sibling Albaric, by Chapter the Twelfth, it started to seem a bit strange. I actually wondered if Aric was gay and romantically in love with his brother. In that chapter, lots of women are visiting this house and they are interested in him as a marriage candidate. However, Aric shows a lack of interest and sort of mocks them. When he finally shows a tad of interest in one girl, the conversation they have is about Albaric and what a wonder he is. Aric makes Albaric sing; the scene is written in a way that displays Aric oozing with devotion like his bro is a rock star. However, the brothers are just close brothers; Aric does fall in love with a female (albeit with a rather young one and a bit abrupt in my opinion).

The king, who is the boys’ father, acts capriciously throughout the whole novel. His character is dark and foreboding. The way he acts and the way people act toward him reminded me of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I kept feeling like this book was going to end in a dark or ambiguous way, so it was hard to enjoy the read. The ending is alright. Thankfully, the king is better and misfortunes reversed; however, it was a bit unclear how exactly Aric and Albaric “healed” everything. Albaric was the most likable, in-depth, and captivating character by far, and I hope to read other books with characters like him. The recommended age on Amazon was 10 to 18, but 14+ due to suggestive themes and violence seems more accurate.

Regarding Daughter of Rome

Title: Daughter of Rome
Author: Tessa Afshar
Published by Tyndale House Publishers
Year: 2020
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 378
Language: English
ASIN: B07T32RZMF
Dates Read: 2022, October 22 to October 30

The book was captivating. Every chapter is an adventure. The character, themes, and touching moments really pack a punch, and there is an edifying sermon every chapter. After reading Thief of Corinth, I wanted to read another book by this author. Priscilla and some others make a cameo appearance in Thief of Corinth. Some characters from that novel are mentioned in Daughter of Rome. I like how Afshar’s novels are somewhat linked, but they are not a series so a person can start with any book. At the start of the novel, I knew why Priscilla was trying to see the physician even before the reason was revealed. This was the only predictable part of the book for me, and the rest of the book was more unforeseeable and engaging.

The book gave me the impression that it would mainly be about Priscilla, but Aquila seems to have an equal part. They start out as both outcasts from their world who come to find love and acceptance. I love how the book shows that they are partners in ministry. For some reason, while reading this book, I kept imagining it as an anime. I wish there was an anime like this and relatively clean, popular and made especially for Christians. I especially loved how the story demonstrates Christian characters releasing or overlooking offenses, being able to love, extending hospitality, and showing grace even to some of the most infuriating people. I enjoyed how the story shows both married and single people caring for each other in a community and having deep love, concern, and relationships with each other like adopted siblings.

One scene that I thought that could have been crafted better is when certain characters go to rescue Paul from a kidnapping. The scene reminds me a bit of “The Beggar’s Opera” by John Gay. Also, when the dog Ferox is introduced, I was given the impression that there would be a mysterious path there that would be eventually unraveled. He’s a mysterious dog that shows up out of nowhere. He saves Priscilla and is a part of the family but there’s no unraveling or discovery of his origins like there is for the orphan Marcus. Sometimes, to me, the romance scenes were very passionate and a bit more descriptive than I anticipated or thought necessary. Also, who gets her brother’s “estate” at the end or does it go to creditors? The book is a great read overall, and I look forward to reading Afshar’s other works.

Reading Demon: A Memoir

Title: Demon: A Memoir
Author: Tosca Lee
Published by Howard Books
Year: 2015, first published in 2007
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: Approx. 300
Language: English
ASIN: ?
I couldn’t confirm this info, the Kindle version disappeared from Amazon at the time of posting this blog entry.
Dates Read: August 24 to September 20, 2022

Some years ago, I saw one of Tosca Lee’s books in a Christian bookstore, but it was not what I was looking for at the time. I made a note that she was an author whose works I might look into later. Here I am, years later, looking for Christian fiction to read. I found her books on Amazon, and this book’s description immediately captivated me the most. The entire book is narrated in first-person by the protagonist, Clay- and boy, it is some great first-person. The book’s narration is like watching a 1940’s film noir. Additionally, throughout the novel, there is a gloomy, menacing, impending doom feeling. The demon Lucian’s story is written like snippets of “Paradise Lost” in today’s English.

I understand that the story is going to have somewhat of a dark sentiment since it is about a demon; however, there is a bit of despair here as well. I started to feel so sad while reading this. I started to have difficulty motivating myself to finish the story. The demon is condescending and annoying without the wit of the demons in The Screwtape Letters. However, some parts of this story are intriguing. It is interesting how the demon states that he enjoyed watching Adam and Eve and that he was sad when the serpent tempted them. The best part of the story, in my opinion, is when Lucian discussed the Nativity and described it from the demons’ perspective.

Ultimately, to me, the ending was unsatisfying. At the very least, I expected Clay to clearly and distinctly come to Christ after all that he had been through. He just states that he is going to make some decision and that is all that we are told. The Author’s Notes section in the book’s back are extremely helpful. She describes the demon’s story concept, the scripture references, and the scholars/Bible commentaries. I wish that I had read that section before reading the actual story, so that I had more context.

A Travel Through Straight On Till Morning

Title: Straight On Till Morning
Author: Liz Braswell
Published by Disney Hyperion
Year: 2020
Series: A Twisted Tale Series
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 349
Language: English
ASIN: B07VW38815
Dates Read: August 11 to 20 2022

I found this book series while scrolling through an overwhelming amount of fairy tale retellings on Amazon. A Twisted Tale series retells Disney movies; the plots seem to offer very intriguing alternative/what-if scenarios. For my first book to read in the series, I decided to randomly go with Straight On Till Morning. Peter Pan (1953) was an enjoyable movie, and I was so captivated by the scenario of this book- Wendy going to Neverland with Captain Hook.

I thought the story would follow the events of the movie more closely than it did. This retelling was almost completely unrecognizable to the movie; there were several differences. There are a lot of details and narration about Wendy, her life, her family, and acquaintances. It’s almost 100 pages before Wendy even leaves London. She is already 16, moved out of the nursery, and she does not go to Neverland with her brothers. Throughout the novel, there are some variations on characters that are in the movie, new characters, and characters absent from the movie. The narrator’s voice is somewhat wry.

On the Amazon page, the recommended age minimum is 12. Honestly, I thought this was probably because of the reading level; however, this story is actually darker and more serious than the movie. This would definitely be a hard PG. There are some suggestive references, a few minor coarse words, more violence, alcoholic references, and more peril. Also, the author does use a lot of interesting dated British words or rare words; I had to constantly look up words while reading the novel.

This story is very much about Wendy coming of age. The adventure she takes helps her decide what she should do with her life. Also, there seems to be a deeper characterization of her character. Her relationship with Tinker Bell and the jealousy the fairy has when it comes to Peter Pan are explored in depth throughout the plot. The story is a wild ride; by the end, Wendy is tan and in rags. Additionally, to me, in this retelling, it seems that Captain Hook is portrayed as an extremely more pitiful villain than in the movie.

Overall, the novel is alright. It was fun to read and then muse about for a few days. Honestly, it was more like a well-crafted fanfiction for older intellectual teens and young adults than an alternative version to the famous animated film. I may try out some other books in this series.

Contemplating Lost in Darkness

Title: Lost in Darkness (Of Monsters and Men)
Author: Michelle Griep
Published by Barbour Books
Year: November 2021
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 323
Language: English
ASIN: B09FP1WHKN
Dates Read: August 1 to August 8 2022

I was enthralled by Gallimore, so I wanted to read another book by this author. Since I absolutely loved reading Frankenstein in school, I decided to go with Lost in Darkness, a Christian novel inspired by the famous assigned reading. Each chapter begins with a quote from Shelley’s famous novel. The story setting is in 1815, England. I thought that it would take a few chapters to build intrigue, but the story immediately starts out dynamic. The entire novel has a pensive and/or ominous mood with just a few funny moments. It was a nice nod of Griep to write Mary Godwin/Shelley into the novel as a character-an eventual neighbor of main character Amelia. The historical notes and bibliography were very helpful in understanding time period elements included in the story.

Several of the characters are Christian. At various times, one will act or say something super devout and full of spiritual wisdom, then at other times, the same character acts like someone new to the faith and full of doubt. Moreover, it’s like everyone, whether antagonist or protagonist, is kind of lost in their own darkness of some sort (unmended relationships, choices, full of regret, unruly emotions, pride).

For me, this story’s ending is bittersweet. I thought that the brother would have had a more satisfying ending. While reading the novel, I was thinking that either the surgery would be successful or that he would not have the surgery at all. I thought that either way, he would be able to go on with his life by the story’s end. He was portrayed as such a comprehensive and good-natured character that I was not expecting such a tragic end. I know that Frankenstein was not exactly a happy ending either, but I thought this novel would be a bit more hopeful. It was actually more realistic here than science fiction and fantastical. I thought that maybe he would actually get to have a normal appearance, but he has to learn not to become arrogant or something. Also, to me, it felt like the ending for the antagonist could have been different-something felt missing-perhaps a trial scene? However, the romance and career aspects among the two leads end rather well.

Reading The Screwtape Letters

Title: The Screwtape Letters
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published by HarperOne
Edition Year: 2009
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 222
Language: English
ASIN: B002BD2V2Y
First Published by Geoffrey Bles, London, in 1942
Dates Read: June 26 to July 10 2022

So far, I have read a few works by Lewis: an essay/letter or so, Mere Christianity, Till We Have Faces, God in the Dock, and The Weight of Glory. They have been thoughtful, and I have taken several notes. In school, other Christians raved over the Narnia series (which I hope to read in entirety one day), but I was unfamiliar with his other works until much later, when I started exploring Christian apologetics and philosophy.

I’m looking for other writings to read, and recently the Desiring God website posted several interesting excerpts from The Screwtape Letters, so I decided to read this Christian classic. Overall, this book is very witty and insightful. It was like reading a spiritual warfare manual from the devil’s perspective. Some of the letters were easier for me to understand and/or relate to than others. Some letters kind of lost me, it was harder for me to understand the point or the context, the elements of the era, and I had to reread passages a few times. I wondered if I should have purchased the annotated version instead. If I ever read this again, I would probably use a study guide or participate in a discussion group.

One takeaway that I received from this work is about the power of prayer in the believer’s life. It can be fatal, so the devil has to try to distract the Christian or weaken the attempt by various methods. Another takeaway is the importance of relationships that we have with others and how they can influence our spiritual walk; the devil has to “play” the relationships the person has with others. Spiritual warfare is ongoing through life, but God can grant rest. In this story, the patient ‘gets away’ from the devil’s grasp for good.

Although the work is clever, CSL discusses how it was tiring and “sad” to constantly write from the devil’s side. This reminds me of a comment that a Christian writer made on his blog that I am paraphrasing here: He reads works by famous atheists, mainly polemics against religion. The worldview depicted is so bleak, and he has oppressive feelings while reading these works. So, he has to take breaks and read scripture or works by Christians to cheer up. CSL also discusses how he would have liked to balance the work with an angelic perspective, but he felt that it would be too difficult to depict perfection.

A Review of The Seeker’s Trilogy

I realized that The Twilight Saga is the only fantasy series that I have completed so I decided to find others to read. I was searching for a series without a dark setting, lots of details, and tons of pages. I decided to try this Christian fantasy trilogy.

Title: Seeker’s Call
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 1
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2014
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 334
Language: English
ASIN: B00RDGG30U
Dates Read May 4 to May 12 2022

The protagonist is a young girl named Iviana who lived with her guardian until she passed. They lived as outcasts, and now, she has left the village to discover the world. She meets a dragon and her destiny ensues. She meets several intriguing characters throughout the novel. When the dragon takes her to another realm, a breathtakingly beautiful place full of islands, several mysteries are eventually revealed. The way her questions are initially ignored by the islanders builds suspense; the readers keep trying to figure out the mystery surrounding her, other characters, and the newfound realm. In the novel, a big backstory is revealed about her ancestors, the sorceress, and a war with great dragons. Honestly, this tale of the past was so interesting to read and full of action that I wished it was a book of its own. For the “magic system” the Great One anoints individuals with certain gifts such as super strength, breathing underwater, speaking things into being, healing, etc. The novel has a very Old Testament feel and Charismatic perspective. To me, Iviana is a “Moses” or “prophet” figure. Most people have one gift but Iviana discovers she has three by the end of this novel.

Title: Seeker’s Quest
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 2
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2015
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 302
Language: English
ASIN: B012BJ9QZM
Dates Read May 13 to May 21 2022

The next book starts near the end of the first book. Iviana returns to the islands and is tasked with seeking a mysterious parchment. Her newfound friends decide to go with her on this quest. Eventually she discovers the lost city of Atlantyss which is a city thriving under the ocean where knowledge flourishes. It was sunk by the Great One years ago and its people are waiting for the Chosen One to return. This is such an innovative spin on the Atlantis legend. There, she makes new friends. She finds herself reading an untitled book about a cool guy performing miracles. Later, she has a “dream-otherworldly journey” about this same guy who she learns is the Anointed One and the Great One’s friend. It takes place at his crucifixion; Iviana is distraught that the Great One allows this to happen, and she really struggles with her trust in Him awhile. Although this series is considered Christian fantasy, and it definitely has strong biblical themes, I did not know that the author was going to put the actual the Christian story into the novel, especially since the setting is so fantastical with dragons, etc. By the end of the novel, the gospel message is revealed, and it actually works well with the fantasy setting.

Title: Seeker’s Revolution
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 3
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2016
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 336
Language: English
ASIN: B012BJ9QZM
Dates Read May 21 to 28 2022

This book continues after the events of the previous one. Iviana and her friends carried the gospel message to the islands and of course, the reaction is similar to the tribes of Israel during Christ’s day. While the realms of islands are absolutely stunning with natural beauty, there are dirty things going on with the leadership. A lot of other gifts are discovered. Apparently, Iviana is given several more by the end of the novel. There’s a new character who shares the main stage with Iviana…The ending of the trilogy is good, yet you know Iviana and friends still have a lot of work to do.

Overall Impressions with Mild Spoilers
The books are likable and positive. If someone were looking for Christian fantasy or clean fantasy for the age range of 11 to 18, I would recommend it. I had difficulty discerning the ages of some of the characters. Iviana and company would seem around 14 at times, 18 at others. It was hard to believe that Leilyn was of marriageable age considering how immature and silly she acted. I kept forgetting that Marquen was under 30 because usually, wise hermits with powers are portrayed as 50 or older so kudos to the author for breaking this stereotype. I thought that the side character Laurel’s betrothal in the first book was kind of random, but she and her husband end up playing a bigger role in the second book. I love how Iviana finds love and acceptance from the Great One and also others by the end of the series. The major characters have nice endings. Sometimes, to me, the dialogue was a bit silly. Also, I wanted more action scenes and less talking and pondering. There were a few typos. The series is inundated with romance. Her various friends date, get engaged, marry but she does not. She has no interest right now and she is busy living her best life for the Great One and doing adventures, etc. At one point, she actually considers trying to force an interest in this rich lord only because other people are pushing her towards him. However, he ends up being a villain so she’s glad she didn’t fall for him. It is actually pretty cool to have a strong female main character without a romantic element. However, her future daughter visits her in the final novel so you know she probably does marry eventually. It is never said whether Flynn restores his engagement with the other island girl at the end of the novel, so I wonder if the author is hinting that he and Iviana will become a couple. It’s not alluded to whether she romantically likes any of her single friends at the end of the book. Anyway, If this is the author’s debut trilogy, she will only improve. Moreover, I enjoyed the author’s note about operating in God’s gifts.

A Review of Illusionarium

Title: Illusionarium
Author: Heather Dixon
Published by Greenwillow Books
Year: 2015
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 368
Language: English
ASIN: B00M70YWS2
Dates Read March 29 to April 8 2022

This is probably my first steampunk novel. The book was mentioned on a few blogs so I decided to read it. The author has some other novels that seem exciting, so I may read those later. After reading this fantastic story, I was surprised that there were less than 100 reviews on Amazon. It was a deep and fascinating story with wonderful worldbuilding. Reading this book was almost like watching a movie- not all novels can make me feel this way. Also, I never knew what to expect next, and it was a quick read. The world is based on 19th century England with detailed steampunk elements such as airships and unique technology. I appreciated Dixon’s innovative words and concepts such as orthogonagen, polarage, fantillium, the Venen, Illusionarium. The book is in first-person, and the protagonist Jonathan Gouden narrates the story. The narrative voice is realistic; you can tell he is a teenager, very intelligent, a bit awkward, and still trying to figure out some sentiments. I enjoyed his footnotes, an extra creative touch. To me, all of the other main characters have vibrant and unique personalities as well. Some of the characters are based on real people from 19th century England. Not only does the writer build the steampunk world that I just described, but also she builds an alternative world as well which is a derelict and dysfunctional version of Jonathan’s world. This is the world that the villain who brings the Fantillum comes from, along with the Venen. That world serves as a warning, and the characters have to make moral choices. There is a lot of meaning packed into the plot of this original young adult novel. There are a few twists and not all are happy, but eventually the main heroes find the right way, and it is a good ending.

Considering Gallimore

Title: Gallimore

Author: Michelle Griep

Published by Black Lyon Publishing

Year: 2009

Format Read: Kindle

Pages: 227

Language: English

ASIN: B002RHP56S

I am trying different authors and genres. I found this author on a blog; the blogger reviews a lot Christian fiction, and she was reviewing one of Griep’s books. I had a look at her books on Amazon, and I decided to read this one. This is probably the first time travel fiction novel that I have read since middle school. I really enjoyed this book! Although the opening chapter is sad, the rest of the story is extremely fun to read. The writing is both witty and profound, and the figures in the story have fantastic characterization. I am definitely interested in reading some of the author’s other writings.

In the acknowledgments, I love that Griep writes “To my own Captain of the Guard who will soon come for me. Rev.22:20”. The story emphasizes faith, God’s presence, God’s mysterious ways, burying grief, love, forgiveness, releasing pain. It’s interesting how the first chapter starts with Dan’s demise. Then, the story picks up with Jessica on a trip to England after the passing of her husband. She meets a stranger on the plane who gives her ideas for sightseeing. Eventually, she is caught in a storm while searching for Gallimore castle. She is “whisked away” to the 14th century. She meets several colorful characters including a forthright knight, the ancestor of the stranger on the plane, and his creepy villainous brother- the Earl who practices divination. Jessica’s exchanges with the characters are engaging! Some comments she makes about her dress, the foul odors, and treatment of the servants are realistic yet coated with humor. I was so caught up in the action that it was bittersweet when the storm came again and Jessica returned to the present. You know that she gets together with the guy from the plane and the miraculous event in her life is discussed in the epilogue. I love how the scenes are drawn and depicted.

Dates Read March 15 to March 26 2022