Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Blurb: Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

Review by Dale: 
So you have read the Harry potter series, then you read the hunger games series. You may have even read the twilight books. But now you are wondering what am I going to read now? Have you read the Artemis Fowl series? This long running series is about to come to an end, after seven books the eighth and final book is coming this year. Lets have a look at this great series one book at a time.

Book 1 Artemis Fowl

Artemis is a young twelve year old genius with a penchant for thievery. In an effort to rob back his families fortunes he hatches an audacious sceme to steal gold from leprechauns. When I was a kid I heard the legends and studied the lore as all kids do. We all new about the gold at the end of the rainbow and that if you captured a leprechaun then you might get your hands on that pot of gold. Artemis has heard the legends as well and sets in motion a cunning plan to get that gold.

This book is told from a perspective thats not that common (and usually confined to caper plots) , in that the hero of the story is an anti hero, the bad guy. Imagine watching Star Wars where your rooting for Darth Vader instead of Luke Skywalker. It's certainly fun hoping the bad guy will get away with the treasure, cheat those cute little faires out of their hard earned gold and win the day.

This book is extremely well written, the story flows from the page and is a delight to read. Yet its not just the story itself thats immensely entertaining but also the way its written, the narrative prose in ever sentence transforms even the most mundane of character actions into a passage of beauty. It's little wonder when you consider that some of the greatest writers who have ever lived have come from Ireland and Eoin Colfer is from Wexford, not far from Dublin, home of the literary master James Joyce.

So if like Trolls, Goblins and Faery Folk, if you like polished poetic narration, and imaginative story, then you will love Artemis Fowl.

Ages: 10+ (mild action related violence)
Format: eBook
Available from Disney-Hyperion
Price: eArc (at time of review)
Wordcount: 280,000 (appx)
Author:Eoin Colfer
Link: Official Site

Troll Hunters Skyfall by Michael Dahl

Blurb: Part of the Troll Hunters series. Evil and danger rumbles under the earth. Follow the adventures of a group of contemporary teenagers who discover that their town, and ultimately the entire world, is under attack by fierce creatures from deep beneath the earth. These creatures were known to the earliest humans as trolls or goblins, but they are much more dangerous than their fairy-tale versions. The teens make unlikely allies along the way, including a half-man, half-troll, as well as some legendary constellations that quite literally come to life. The young heroes will also discover their own untapped celestial abilities in an epic battle between good versus evil spanning four intense books. (Jacket Copy: Capstone. Image: Goodreads)

Review by Dale:

This is a short novella written in a very easy style that hits its mark with younger readers. I finished this in about forty five minutes, and found I had chewed my nails to the quick in the process. The story is about a group of young kids who stay up to watch a meteor shower and get attacked by Trolls. Then discover that is just the beginning of a troll invasion!

Is it just me or are trolls scary? I mean really scary, they want to eat you, they live in the woods, underground and did I mention they want to eat you? This well written story by Dahl is very spooky, and dark and very readable for younger readers. It appears to be the first in a series because there are so many questions left in your mind after reading this. What about the centaur or Doctor Hoo and what's with the glowing eyes? Yes so many unanswered questions I can't wait for book two!

This book is illustrated too and the pictures are fantastic, just enough detail to capture the action but not overly done to spoil your own imaginings of the scene. 

So if you want something to read this saturday afternoon, something easy, spooky, and exciting, pick a good spot and read Skyfall by Michael Dahl. Ages 10 and up

Format: eBook ARC
Available from Capstone
Price: $0.00c (at time of review)
Page count: 114pp (appx)
Author: Michael Dahl
Available February 2012

Shadow Rising by Jamie Sedgwick

Jamie has shared the cover art from his upcoming new book Shadow Rising. The sequel to the Shadow Born that we reviewed here previously. 


I love the bold orange colour of the sun, in contrast to the menacing blackness of the castle and surroundings. The small airship in the background looks cool too. Hinting at a lot of movement in the story again I guess. Jamie is such a talented story teller I can't wait to see this book launched. Wont be long now. 

The Tinkerer's Daughter by Jamie Sedgwick

So it's December already and it's nearly a year that Chilli Tween Reads has been reviewing great books for teens and tweens from indie writers. Doesn't time fly when your a reading fun stuff. I can't believe its well over twenty books and authors.

Welcome to the second installment of the year end review of some the best of the best writers I've had on my blog. Todays book is by Young Adult author Jamie Sedgwick. I first reviewed one of Sedgwick's books way back in February. I was instantly impressed by his fantastic and dark story about the darklings. You can revisit the review here or read on for a review of The Tinkerer's Daughter.

Blurb: Breeze is an outcast, a half-breed orphan in a world devastated by 1,000 years of war. She never knew her elven mother. Her father leaves her in the care of a reclusive Tinker, with her true identity safely hidden. Then the war comes and Breeze is exposed. If she has the courage, Breeze has a chance to change the world. If she fails, she'll be hunted to her death as a traitor. 

 Review by Dale:

I cracked this open on my kindle reader this morning and found myself unable to put it down. The story unfolds beautifully with just enough action and drama to quickly draw you into Breeze's world.

A half cast between two race's Breeze lives in an earth like reality. The story is well set in a pre-industrial revolution time period. A time that conjures up the amazing worlds of Jules Verne or H. G. Wells. To spice things up and add a new twist to the nascent steampunk world he adds a touch of elfish type high fantasy.

I think this writers greatest asset is his imagination. Like Lauro Eno from last weeks review the superlative, lavish and full worlds these writers conjure up for us is breathtaking.

Sedgwick has a narrative style that is reminiscent of the old masters like Edgar Rice Burroughs, (he wrote Tarzan). His narration powers ahead like a locomotive on full steam. Smashing through chapter after chapter of suspense and excitement. Covering what would take some writers a trilogy to actualize in about three hundred words.

Sedgwick's knack of ending chapters with suspense compels the reader to swipe the next page. Unable to put this down it can be read in a matter of hours. Yet you easily put the book down feeling replete.

The last story of Sedgwick's I reviewed was so fundamentally different to the story here, the only commonality is the excellent writing. It wont matter if you are a fourteen year old boy or a forty one year old boy (or girl) you will love this! I hope the author is busy writing something new for us to enjoy next year.


Age 10+
Format: eBook
Available from Amazon or Smaswords etc

Link to Download:Smashwords or Amazon
Price: $0.99c (at time of review)
Wordcount: 70,000 (appx)
Author: Jamie Sedgwick

Nostradormouse By Chris Tinniswood

Blurb: A dormouse awakens & utters a mysterious prophecy. In the centre of The Great Woods, an ancient tree receives some strange visitors. Rumours abound. Change is in the air. This is the age... of Nostradormouse. 

Reviewed by Dale

I was hunting around on Barnes and Noble looking for something to read and saw the cover for this little charmer. Catchy I thought and since my coin purse is feeling the pinch I jumped at the chance to read something popular (its in the top 100 I think) and free.

First lets get the moaning out of the way so we can get to the good stuff. There were a few too many typographical errors. Direct speech not on new paragraphs and some truncated sentences and the likes. Also my pet peeve, using too much narrative to tell the story. In fact since this great little story only clocks in at around 15,000 words it could have almost doubled that it the characters had been aloud more time 'on stage' as it were.

Ok so now on with the good bits. What a fantastic story, great imagination at play here, a jealous pang struck me enjoying this one. I think somewhere I read another reviewer drawing parallels with Aesop's fables, and I can see similarities but this is no rip off of a classic. This is fresh and original and highly entertaining. I can see this being an easy favourite in the eight years and up category. An unpredictable storyline, a nice easy build up with lots of intriguing foreshadowing of things to come. While it was short I couldn't help bonding with the hero, the young mouse on the cover. I really implore Tinniswood to re-look at this story and rework it in a dialogue driven story and at least 25,000 words. It would be awesome.

So go grab it! its great, its free, its easy to read!

Age 8+
Format: eBook
Available from Smashwords
Link to Download: Here
Price: $0.00c (at time of review)
Wordcount: 15,000 (appx)
Author:Chris Tinniswood

Leah by J. M. Reep

Blurb:
Introverted and shy, 14-year-old Leah Nells has lived her life alone, with only books to keep her company. As she starts 9th grade, she finds herself lost within the complicated social universe of high school — especially when she falls in love with a boy from her class. Under pressure from her parents, her classmates, and the whole noisy world, can she become the girl she wants to be?


Reviewed by Dale


With the earthquake in Christchurch it has been some time since I have had an opportunity to read let alone review a book for my blog but with the kick-off of 'Read an eBook Week' I felt compelled to find something good to read and forget about the horrors of the past few weeks. 


So it was that I found myself digging through the teen catalogues of Smashwords and discovered this little gem tucked away. A simple title, a catchy cover and an intriguing sounding blurb. 


I think it was the loner aspect of the character that made me pick the book. For once a novel written about shy teenagers that doesn't include vampires, misfits or freaks. Instead what we have here from Mr. Reep is a very well written, carefully crafted almost journal like story that could be insanely boring. How do you write about a shy teen's life which is fundamentally boring with any kind of skill that doesn't leave the reader starved of any excitement or compulsion to turn the next page? A challenge to any author. Reep has pulled it off and I found myself drawn easily into the character's life. Leah's idiosyncrasies and awkwardness add flesh while the authors own almost claustrophobic style of writing compound the sense timidity. Referring to Leah's parents as simply Mr Nells or Mrs Nells or the constant and repeated use of the personal pronoun 'she' all help reinforce this feeling of inside outside; of Leah's world and what is not Leah's world. 


As the Authors blurb states we join Leah on her first day at a new high school. Overwhelmed by new sights and sounds, unfamiliar routines and new faces, it's a challenge for any new student but for Leah it's an even more dramatic day. I changed schools a lot as a kid and remember all too well how anxious the first day at a new school was. Maybe being a little shy as a teen myself helped this story to resonate with me. I could certainly empathize to a small degree. 


What strikes me is that this is no short novel it weighs in at about 229 pages and yet it has pace, and fluidity. I never tired of reading page after page. I must admit I'm more comfortable reading fantasy and adventure and know what to expect in such terms but with these fly on the wall or slice of life type stories it's more challenging I  believe, to achieve these things. Steinbeck had it, Miller had it, seems Reep has it too.


If you enjoy a well written story with a bit of depth and a thoroughly interesting perspective then let me recommend this story to you. It is simply delightful and insightful.


Go grab it!  

Format: eBook, Print
Price: Reader Decides (but I urge you to make a payment as it will encourage this great writer to write more!)
83,000 words

Download Link: Leah
Author J. M. Reep
Web: Author Site