Sir Thursday by Garth Nix (4/5 stars)

This is the fourth book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I think this is easily the best book in the series so far.

Arthur is anxious to return back to his own world when he finds out about the presence of the Skinless Boy. He finds he is unable to return to his world and has been drafted into Sir Thursday's Army. Arthur is also very concerned about the magical contamination he has received from using the keys. If he gets too much magical contamination he will turn into a Denizen and never be able to return home. As if this all wasn't complicated enough someone has started killing the former Days. Arthur needs to disable the skinless boy and get the 4th part of the will along with Sir Thursday's key but how will he do all of this from the Army's ranks?

This was a great book. Arthur is finally starting to grow up. At least in this book he only spent 20% of the time whining instead of 60%. I am glad the Suzi Blue was in the book more and even more glad that Leaf played a larger role in this book too. The book was a little slow in the middle but the end was full of non-stop action. I thought the role of the Piper was interesting. Also the mention of Lady Friday at the end of the book was very ominous.

My only real complaint in this book is (again) Arthur's whining. Also there are points in the book where he seems to be helpless and then suddenly he takes action; it seems a bit inconsistent. This book is still the best of the four so far. I am interested to see what happens in Lady Friday (the next book). I have found it interesting how the personality of the Will changes as more and more parts of it are found. This book does end with a bit of a cliff hanger that will have you wishing for the next book.

The Rose Princess by Hideyuki Kikuchi (5/5 stars)

It is hard to believe that this is the 9th book in the Vampire Hunter D series from Hideyuki Kikuchi. These books never seem to be a burden to read and are nice because they each tell a self-contained story with D and his world being the connecting thread between books. This was a great book and the illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano were, as usual, stunning.

The citizens of the village of Sakuri make an exceptionally good living. Their crops are plentiful and their weather is pleasant, they are protected from the evil outside of their village. That is, as long as they make the occasional sacrifice to the Rose Princess. The Rose Princess and her knights protect the village in return for the occasional young villager to be the Princess's meal. One of the villager's sons tries to rescue the most recent sacrifice; upsetting this careful balance. The villagers are put under "village arrest" until the young man who caused all the trouble is found. Enter D into this disturbed village where he promises to carry out his mission to destroy all Nobility which in this case, is the Rose Princess herself.

Once again, the characters in the book have more depth than some of the earlier books. The book is fast paced and the fight scenes are creative. I love the addition of the four knights. The Rose Princess is an interesting character and it is nice to have a feisty female lead.

I have liked most of the Vampire Hunter D books but this one was especially good. I had trouble putting it down and read through it in just a couple nights. I am excited for the next one. I love the unique fighting abilities and the slow unveiling of D as a character that happens in this series in general.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld (4/5 stars)

This is the third, and final, book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. I think that this book was the best of the series.

In this book Tally is a Special. She is part of a Special group that Shay leads called the Cutters. Zane is strangely absent in the beginning and Tally sometimes wonders about him but not as much as you would think. The Cutters are on a Special assignment to find out where all of the Pretty curing pills are coming from and eliminate the source of them. The Cutters (as the name suggests) cut themselves to stay "icy"; it helps them to see the world in perfect clarity. The Cutters are finding out that the Pretty cure is something that is much bigger than their own city.

Once again it was interesting how the Specials operation changed many aspects of Tally's personality. All of the neat abilities of the Specials were really fun to read about. This book was the fastest paced of the three; still a really fast and easy read. There was a ton interesting technology introduced in this book. I also think that a lot of the characters grew up some in this book.

This book was the most fun of the three books to read. It was also the most significant as far as discussing more worldly issues. I was still a little disappointed in how the author dumbed things down. I also though the final manifesto was a bit over the top, unnecessary, and cheesy; it was a very juvenile statement from a character who seemed older than that by the end of the book.

Overall this was a good conclusion to a mediocre series. This wasn't a bad series, but I don't think it really deserved all the acclaim that it got. There are other young adult sci-fi series out there that are more deserving of praise. There is now an additional book out to this series called Extras that deals with the same world but different characters. I don't think I will be reading Extraas; it bothers me when an author commits to a trilogy and then extends the series because of good sales.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (3.5/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfield. This book was much better than the first novel of the series but still feel a little flat for me.

At the beginning of this book we meet Tally (who has been turned into a Pretty) and Shay getting ready for a costume party. At the party Tally has a strange encounter with someone dressed like Special Circumstances. Tally is trying to get accepted into a group of Pretties called the Crims. Who, as their name suggests, all committed "criminal" acts as Uglies. Zane, the leader of the Crims, suspects that more is just changed during the Pretty operation than their faces. Zane and the other Crims make it a goal to pull off daring stunts in order to "stay bubbly" and be able to see through the Pretty induced mental haze.

This was a much faster paced novel than the previous one. It was very interesting how different Tally's personality was as a Pretty and how she fought internally with the Prettiness. Zane is an interesting character and a good addition to the series. It was fun to read about the exploits of the Crims. In general this was a decent book; full of action and interesting personality changes.

That being said, for me, there was still something a little off about this book. I wasn't that attached to the characters and the action scenes didn't really come alive for me. I am not sure what it is but there is something that stops this novel from becoming wonderful; I think it may be that the writing style is a bit unpolished and simplistic for me. I also think that the author is still dumbing down things too much for his audience.

I will definitely read the next book because this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger much like the first one.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (3/5 stars)

This is the first book in the Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfield. The book follows Tally and Shay, two Uglies who are waiting to turn 16 so that they can get their operations and become Pretties. Pretties are all beautiful and get to live in New Pretty City where life is a party and beautiful all of the time. Everyone becomes a Pretty when they turn 16 without exception. While Tally yearns to become a Pretty Shay wants to escape Uglyville to see what lies outside of the city. Shay is worried about the Pretty operation; what if more than just your appearance changes?

Does the above sound like a shallow premise for a story? Well it is kind of. Although it makes you think a little bit (and I mean a little bit) about what would happen if everyone was perfect and beautiful. Although the story really isn't about that and maybe if it talked more about that it might have some substance.

I realize being 30 I am not the main market for this young adult novel; but it seemed a like surfacey and overused material for me. I think even young girls reading it will figure out what is going by the first chapter of the book. In tone it reminded me a little (tiny) bit of the Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher; except with young girls, and it was all about being pretty and identical, and humans actually have it pretty darn good, and there was a little love story, and I guess it's been about 15 years since I read the Tripods so maybe it wasn't all that similar. I really think it had a similar tone to it though.

By the end of the book I am still not sure if people being turned Pretty is all that horrible. I think you were supposed to think it is the worst thing in the world but I wasn't all that convinced.

All the above being said. The book was simply written, easy to read, a very quick read, and entertaining enough that I finished it. Given all I have heard about these novels I already purchased the next two so...I will probably read the next book in the series even though I am not all that enamored with it. It gets 3 stars for an "It's okay, I guess". It didn't offend me but it didn't work my mind or thrill me either.

Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn (2/5 stars)

This is the third (and final) book in the Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn. This books continues where the second book left off. Takeo and Kaede move to claim Kaede's inheritance so that Takeo has enough strength to take his rightful place as head of the Otori clan. Of course their rash actions at the end of the second book have angered a number of very powerful people and their plans are dashed by treachery a number of times over.

This book has a lot more action and violence than the previous two. For the most part though it follows in the same style as the first two books; and for people who really liked those books this one should please them.

Unfortunately there were a number of things I didn't like about it. I thought many of Takeo's and Kaede's actions were juvenile and poorly thought through. I was disappointed that Kaede lost most of her power in Takeo's presence. I was also irritated that, in general, when Kaede was allowed to make decisions she made them poorly. It was like justifying that all the male dominance at the time was there for a good reason. I was disappointed that the whole deal with the prophecy was so simple and straight-forward in a way that prophecies usually aren't. The number of people who killed themselves because "it was right" is also astounding. I understand some of this is part of the culture of feudal Japan, but still. By the end of the book I didn't really like Takeo or Kaede at all; I kind of wished they were on the losing side. Although to be fair everyone in this book was power hungry and selfish, so maybe it would have been more fitting for them all to lose.

The only bright spot in this book for me was the inclusion of storytelling from Shizuka's point of view. She is a much more interesting character than Kaede or Takeo and it was refreshing to have an interesting point of view in this book.

The other thing I find irritating is that this "trilogy" now has two more books out. The "Harsh Cry of the Heron" was released as the Last Tale of the Otori and a First Tale of the Otori has also been released. It always bothers me when an author promises a trilogy and then, when it sells well, adds onto it. It makes me think that maybe that author couldn't come up with a new world or a better story. The exception to this is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which sold itself as a trilogy as a joke of sorts.

Despite all my gripping the book was well-written and a good conclusion to the series. Although the hints at another book at the end of this trilogy were irritating; I suppose the people very dedicated to this series will be very happy.

Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn (3/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. This book picks up where the first left off. Takeo leaves Kaede for training under the mysterious Tribe; whose supernatural abilities Takeo has inherited from his father. As his training concludes, and he is asked to take out certain missions, he must ask himself if his loyalties will lie with the Tribe or with the Otori? Kaede meanwhile is left on her own to return home and see what state her family is in. Kaede struggles to consolidate her power and claim the inheritance she was left in a world that is run by men.

This was a fitting second book for this series. It moved along at the steady, descriptive pace of the second book. Although for some reason I found myself getting bored while reading this book. The lush descriptions, while detailed, didn't bring the book to life in the way I hoped they would. I had a little trouble understanding some of the stupid decisions made by Kaede and Takeo along the way. Despite these misgivings, if you liked the first book you must read the second book. It is very much in the same style of the first book and continues the story of Kaede and Takeo. This book definitely builds to a climax preparing you for the war and conflict of the third novel.