The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

Genera: Fantasy/humor/contemporary

Subjects: Parallel universes, other worlds, adventure, RPG, nerds

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 387 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperCollins: Balzer & Bray

Summary/ product description: “The Other Normals centers on 15-year-old Peregrine “Perry” Eckert, who’s seriously obsessed with an uber-dorky role-playing game called Creatures & Caverns. Concerned about his stunted social skills and need for fresh air, Perry’s parents decide to ship him off to summer camp to become a man. He anticipates the worst summer of his life until he arrives at camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals, a place where his nerdy childhood may serve him well — but not without connecting with the real world first.”

My Rating: êêêê

My Review: This book was really funny. So many ridiculous things happened. The characters themselves were pretty funny too. It felt kind of like a parody of some epic fantasy story, with some sci-fi thrown in. Perry is very naïve for a nerdy mathlete/RPGer. And very immature. He kind of reminded me of my brother, except my brother addicted to Call of Duty and other war games instead of WoW and RPG stuff. Ada and Mortin are pretty cool characters. Perry likes Ada a lot.

 There are some very unique creatures in this fantasy. Lots of unique world building. It’s almost a dystopian, but it’s really a parallel world or mystical creatures, some from mythology and other created by the author. You’d have to read it to understand how unique this book really is.

It reminds me of a few other books. Parodies by the Harvard Lampoon have similar humor. And There Is No Dog was also a funny one. If you like fantasy stories with faeries and elves and such, or are into RPG and WoW, then this is one book you can relate to. I also recommend this to all the nerdy and geeky guys out there (you are loved, we aren’t trying to make fun of you). I think this book would make a funny movie. Fantasy-comedy. It reminded me of that Scott Pilgrim movie, also.

Cover Art Review: This cover really captures the content. You have the figurines in the background and a guy who’s supposed to be Perry on a figurine stand. It’s just a good, fully, well designed and simple cover.

 

~Haley G

Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire

Series: Lightbringer (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Supernatural, ghosts, death, afterlife, reapers, magic, love, other worlds

Length: 317 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

Summary/ product description: “Wendy has the ability to see souls that have not moved on—but she does not seek them out. They seek her. They yearn for her . . . or what she can do for them. Without Wendy's powers, the Lost, the souls that have died unnaturally young, are doomed to wander in the never forever, and Wendy knows she is the only one who can set them free by sending them into the light. Each soul costs Wendy, delivering too many souls would be deadly, and yet she is driven to patrol, dropping everyone in her life but her best friend, Eddie—who wants to be more than friends—until she meets Piotr. Piotr, the first Rider and guardian of the Lost, whose memory of his decades in the never, a world that the living never see, has faded away. With his old-fashioned charms, and haunted kindness, he understands Wendy in ways no one living ever could, yet Wendy is hiding that she can do more than exist in the never. Wendy is falling for a boy who she may have to send into the light. But there are darker forces looking for the Lost. Trying to regain the youth and power that the Lost possess, the dark ones feed on the Lost and only Wendy and Piotr can save them—but at what cost? Lightbringer is a YA urban fantasy/romance set in a world a breath away from our own . Similar in tone to Tithe and Unleashed , Lightbringer tiptoes down the line between love and horror as Wendy discovers herself and the darkest parts of the afterlife.”

My Rating: ê ê ê ê
My Review: This book had me very confused in the beginning. I wasn’t sure who Piotr was or how to pronounce his name (It’s Peter, not Pietree) and where Wendy had went. I eventually figured out that Piotr is a ghost (and Russian) and Wendy is the Lightbringer and that they were gonna be all romantic together. So, awesome. I started liking it. This book reminds me of a whole lot of books and series I have read (Meridian, Angelfire, Demon Trapper’s Daughter, Die For Me, Possess, ect.). Sadly, no angels, but that’s okay! The uniqueness of this story had me! Wendy’s a strong character, and so are the others. Wendy was searching for her mother’s soul in a lot of it and the outcome surprised me (Because I went out on a limb with a guess and was totally right as usual. I have said I am psychic to this stuff!). The story may have been awesome, but I will warn you the line spacing/text size is small. That was probably why I had a hard time with it. But, it’s still worth reading.

Cover Art Review: I’m not sure if this is a painting or a digital illustration. I doubt it’s a photo. Either way it looks well done. The artist must have been a talented graphic novel/comic illustrator because the detail is amazing!

~Haley G