Review: The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated

The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.



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Review: Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds

Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.



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Review: The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered

The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.



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Review: The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes

The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes by Nick Bantock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Griffin is once again in London and Sabine is once again on Katie. They believe in one another, but the strangeness around their inability to meet has them desperate to find a way to do so. Each correspondence draws them closer to a possibility, while also exposing them to dangers that are stalking them.

Personally, I didn't care for The Golden Mean as much as I did for the previous two. Don't get me wrong... it was a good book and one that I'm glad to have read. But it just didn't seem to have the magic that the previous ones did. The introduction of Frolatti actually detracted from the story for me, though it did give the pair an extra impetus to find a way to get together. And it sets things up for the second trilogy.

The one constant through the series, however, is the artwork. There is nothing plain or uninspiring about any of the envelopes or postcards contained withing the pages of these books.



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Review: Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues by Nick Bantock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The second book in the Griffin and Sabine trilogy (that eventually spawned a second trilogy) sees Sabine come to London, only to find that Griffin has fled. The letters between them continue, Sabine being the supportive friend and love as Griffin tries to figure himself out. Of all of the books in this series, this is the one that explores change and acceptance more than any of the others.

As with the first book, Sabine's Notebook has beautiful, sometimes disturbing artwork that only adds to the postcard and letters that have been written between the pair. I could spend hours just looking at the artwork, finding something new with each glance. It's that wonderful.

Bantock also proved, once again, that he is a master at leaving the reader shocked and anxious to read the next book. I don't want to talk about the ending here... it would be too much of a spoiler. But prepare yourself for things not being quite what they seem.

In many ways, I enjoyed this book even more than the first. It brought the relationship of Griffin and Sabine to deeper levels, taught the reader more about each of them as individuals and the pair as a couple, without either having met the other. It takes a long time to digest everything in it.

Most series, I don't worry about reading in order. But this series... You really do need to read them in order. You need to take the journey along with Griffin and Sabine because you'll lose so much if you don't.



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Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Jacob grew up on his grandfather's unusual stories of his youth. As a young child, he believed everything his grandfather said was true. But as he got older, that belief waned. Still, his grandfather's tales never altered and he continued to insist that the peculiar children he lived with during the war existed. When his grandfather is killed, and Jacob is convinced that he sees one of the creatures from his grandfather's stories in the woods, he starts to rethink his disbelief. He and his father head to the small island off of Wales where his grandfather claimed this unusual orphanage existed. Here, Jacob will find out the truth regarding the stories his grandfather told... and the truth of who he is.

I'd seen this book on many friends' read lists and each time, they'd reviewed it favorably. Being a book with fantastic elements was something I knew would be right up my alley. And with so many people recommending it, I knew I'd need to read for myself what the fuss was about. And I'm very glad that I did.

The story was a perfect melding of prose and unusual, sometimes impossible seeming photographs. As the story was told and a photograph was mentioned, you would see it on the next page. And being able to see what Jacob was talking about as he described the picture just added to it.

The story itself was incredibly engaging, to the point that I wanted to stay up all night reading it. I wanted to know how Jacob's life was going to change and how the children that he meets at Miss Peregrine's would react to him. I was carried along and, at the end, very anxious to hear the rest of the story. I can't wait until the second book comes out. It'll be on my reading list close to immediately.





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Review: Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I'd originally read this wonderful book about 10 years ago and was impressed with it then. It had been in the back of my mind all this time and came to the forefront when I was reading through Book Lust for reading suggestions. I requested it and all it's sequels from the library. I picked them up yesterday and am glad to sink back into it.

This book will be a quick read, and you'll spend as much time looking at the artwork as you will reading it. The book is a series of postcards and letters between Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem, initiated by Sabine when she recognizes a piece of artwork that Griffin had created for his card business as something she'd seen in her imaginings. Thus begins a conversation between the two that is defies description. With each postcard, and then letter (which are written as pieces of paper you can remove from envelopes on the page), you learn more about both Griffin and Sabine and a hint at what connects them.

This is truly one of the most fascinating books I've ever read, both in concept and in story. It's one that, when Pete's a bit older and not into destroying everything he touches, I'd love to own just so I can reread it whenever I need a little magic in my life. Because that's what this book feels like to me - magic within the pages of a book.



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Review: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Percy Jackson is one of my favorite characters in children's literature. And, while I enjoyed getting to know Jason, Piper and Leo in The Lost Hero, it was nice to read about Percy again. And meeting Hazel and Frank, along with the rest of Camp Jupiter (the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood) was like old friends introducing me to new friends.

The book was as exciting as the previous ones set in this world, with surprises peppered throughout the book that I never saw coming. Riordan's writing is exciting, keeping the reader anxious to hear more. Some of the lines that he had various characters say alternately cracked me up and made me want to adopt them as mantras. The characters mesh well and seem very realistic - for demi-gods.

There was only one problem I had with the audio book edition, and that was the pronunciation of Gaea. I'd always pronounced it (and heard it pronounced) Geye-ah. The reader pronounced it GE-ah. And each time he said it, I shuddered. Maybe I'd heard it pronounced wrong all this time. But it still bugged me.

I've got the paper copy of the book coming soon as well, and I'm going to reread it then. Because a) it was a good book and 2) I don't know what I may catch on the second read through. If you've loved the Percy Jackson series, you'll enjoy this one as well. If you love reading about mythology, you'll enjoy the series. And once you've read them, you'll want Fall, 2012 to hurry up and get here for the next installment of the series.



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Review: Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It's not secret that I think Neil Gaiman is the best writer of our generation. The man can write for anyone! Odd and the Frost Giants is one of his children's books and is just as brilliant as Coraline and The Graveyard Book.

Odd is the son of an Viking Woodcutter and a Scottish lass. After his father's death, and his mother's remarriage, a winter comes that doesn't seem to end. Needing to be on his own, he takes his father's ax and leave's for his old hut in the woods. And that's where his adventures with the Gods begin.

As you can tell from some of my other reading, I love reading about ancient Gods and the stories around them. Since reading about Loki, Thor and Odin in The Sandman, I've loved Gaiman's view of them. The book was a quick read, but a wonderful one. It's one that I'm hoping to own so my boys can read it regularly as well. And I'm really hoping that Gaiman decides to tell more of Odd's stories. Because he really is a wonderful hero.

For all that the book was wonderful, the best part was the Author Biography at the end. It was one of the funniest biographies I've ever read. So don't stop when you get to the end of the story. Remember, the end of the story rarely is.



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Review: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: The Amulet of Samarkand

The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I picked up the original as an audio book for one of our trips and fell in love with this series. When Rich found the graphic novelization at the library a few weeks ago and took it out for me. I'm not sure why I let it sit to the side, unread, for awhile, but I didn't pick it up until later this week.

Graphic Novelizations are things that are usually hit and miss with me. Sometimes the writer pulls out my favorite parts and the artist brings the characters into view the way I saw them in my own mind. Other times, I find a part I was looking forward to was nowhere to be found and the artwork doesn't work for me. This was one firmly fits into the first category. The layout and artwork fit perfectly with what I'd remembered from the original. It was beautifully done and the story included the humor along with the more serious moments that had been in the original.

If you have a reluctant reader, I'd suggest handing them this one - particularly if they enjoy fantasy. It is a great introduction to a wonderful series.



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