Rebecca MoestaRecensioni

Although I'm an adult reader, I do enjoy YA stories. However, this one is just not very good. The characterization is not deep and is mostly based on cliches (Jaina the techno-geek, Jacen the animal-geek and so on) and the plot is thin.

A fun adventure that does what it’s supposed to.

Primera novela sobre las aventuras de los gemelos Solo.
Da la impresión de que Kevin no ha hecho mas que crear el argumento general de las distintas novelas de esta serie, porque ni el estilo ni la forma son propios de él: la novela esta bien escrita, los personajes bien definidos, no se recurre a muchos tópicos de Star Wars...
En la novela se nos presenta a los protagonistas: Jacen y Jayna Solo, Tenel-Ka (hija de Isolder y Teneniel Djo), Bajocca (sobrino de Chewie) y TM2 (androide traductor que domina `más de 6 formas de comunicación` y que es una especie de hijo de C3PO ya que este ayudó a programarlo). Historia entretenida que nos muestra el carácter de cada uno de los jóvenes Jedi y los enfrenta a un antiguo piloto de cazas TIE, Qorl.

En esta, los chicos fabrican sus espadas luz. Tenel-Ka no se tomó el asunto en serio y crea una espada defectuosa que acaba hiriéndola, amputándole un brazo. Muy deprimida regresa a Hapes, y los chicos van tras ella para animarla. Allí descubren un complot contra la abuela de Tenel-Ka que gobierna Hapes mientras que su hijo Isolder y su nuera están fuera de viaje diplomático. Paralelamente Zekk, también construye su sable luz en la Academia de la Sombra y termina convirtiéndose en uno de los lideres. Como los otros libros de esta serie juvenil, una historia muy entretenida.

Los Jóvenes Jedi. Los chicos van a Kashyyyk, y allí se ven envueltos en un ataque de la Academia de la Sombra encabezado por Zekk. De nuevo, otro libro entretenido.

Brakiss, el estudiante a quien Luke Skywalker expulsó de la Academia Jedi, se ha convertido en un adepto del lado oscuro de la Fuerza. Además de haber extendido el dominio y comprensión de sus poderes Jedi, ha establecido su propio centro de aprendizaje: la Academia de la Sombra.
Y ahora se ha embarcado en un proyecto todavía más ambicioso y estremecedor. Mientras organiza una siniestra legión de Jedi Oscuros que sirvan al Imperio, se prepara también para conseguir lo que ni siquiera Darth Vader y el Emperador lograron llevar a término: raptar a los herederos de Skywalker y arrastrarlos al lado oscuro de la Fuerza.

Jake and Nog earn jobs as miner where the remote-controlled operations are turned into a thrilling video game. Of course it is not what it seems.

This book had my emotions all wrapped up from start to finish. It was a beautifully heartwarming story that was a joy to read. The love and compassion that is shown by all the characters through various moments show that even if life throws you for a loop there’s still light at the end of the tunnel.

It was amazing to see how a family welcomed a total stranger into their lives when they had the opportunity to help. How without knowing it, Jennifer & John found what their Christmas and their lives were missing.

I give this book a 5⭐️. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside & I highly recommend it!

Jennifer needs to get away so she borrows her friend's chalet in Aspen but never arrives because of a car crash where she emerges with amnesia. She is found on the road by John and taken in by him and his family. Living with them she discovers things she forgot she did not like and remembered what it is like being part of a family. She is eventually found by her friend and returned to a life that she learns she does not want.

This is a sweet Hallmark romance. I enjoyed the story and characters. The book fleshes out the movie. There are thoughts in the book that cannot be shown in the movie. There is the snake in the grass but there are also good people who come to love Jennifer. This is a favorite of mine.

Interesting TNG story covering political upheaval in the Gorn empire. Aspects (to me) reminiscent of the culture of the green folk on Barsoom.

Fun to see this turn in the Star Trek Universe by Kevin J. Anderson, better known for his work in the Star Wars and Dune 'verses. There's an interesting afterword about the design of the Gorn race, with anatomical drawings and more.

When life presents lemons, learn how to make lemonade. What a cheesy saying but it's rooted in truth. A Christmas To Remember is a dance of love, life and sentiment. Jennifer and John find themselves wrapped in the middle of an uncertain future, yet within that uncertainty lies the best moments of their lives. How do you explain the unexplainable? By making every second count. Everything happens for a reason and although the reasoning is unknown, some things are just meant to be? A Christmas to Remember was meant to be?

This book had my emotions all wrapped up from start to finish. It was a beautifully heartwarming story that was a joy to read. The love and compassion that is shown by all the characters through various moments show that even if life throws you for a loop there’s still light at the end of the tunnel.

It was amazing to see how a family welcomed a total stranger into their lives when they had the opportunity to help. How without knowing it, Jennifer & John found what their Christmas and their lives were missing.

I give this book a 5⭐️. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside & I highly recommend it!

I'm not sure I'd have read this except that I'd just finished the previous volume. It's very readable writing, although in the sense that I tended to skim it quite a lot rather than dwelling on every word. In some sections I do slow to absorb everything, particularly the exploratory sequences of new places and things; in others I just picked out the main points.

This brings the arc of the previous two books to a close in the inevitable way (which isn't a criticism; that's how this arc cries out to be closed). The five main characters (or the two protagonists and their three mates) discover their secret and unique powers, encounter a second magical realm, and combine their pluckiness and abilities to defeat the evil wizard and save the universe.

I found this book hard to place. The early sections are quite interesting; I liked the flying city of Irrakesh, and felt it ended up with rather a raw deal, partly because it never got quite the pagecount it seemed to deserve, and partly because it becomes the scene of a colossal war and mass slaughter. The disposal of the Sultan seemed rather abrupt and it always seemed like there ought to be something the group could do.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book bogs down tremendously with a series of huge battles. Fighting is supposed to be exciting, but I found it dragged with repeated similar sequences, especially given that we've already experienced mass Merlon attacks in two books, and a war against the flying creatures earlier in this book. My eyes began to glaze over, not a specific criticism of Moesta, but I think it's actually very hard to make lengthy descriptions of fighting interesting (and the same applies in film - looking at you, Lord of the Rings).

Though the heroes do eventually work out how to combine their powers to defeat the villains, it felt to me as though they were rather slow on the uptake. They missed opportunities to use them earlier in the book. I also felt that the revelation of the powers was rather perfunctory - characters simply noticed that they could suddenly do something when it became convenient to the plot, and neither the build-up nor their reactions felt suitably strong. To be fair, they are in the middle of a war and rather preoccupied, I suppose.

It's an okay book, and a reasonable end to the trilogy, though it clearly leaves space open for a sequel.

I was a bit disappointed with this series in the end (I got it in a book bundle). There's nice ideas here and it's pleasantly easy to read, but I felt like it didn't exploit its full potential, and often didn't earn the narrative credit need for me to buy into some of the convenient coincidences. I would have liked Irrakesh better explored, a much shorter Battle of Five Armies, and a stronger narrative build-up and exploration of the characters' powers manifesting.

If I hadn't got all three books as a set, I suspect I would not have paid nor made the effort to obtain the second, and almost certainly not the third. To be fair though, it's YA and I'm not YA. If you've read the first two you honestly might as well read this one and close the storyline, it's short and easy enough to read, and it'll leave things a bit more satisfactory.

My suspicion is that having two authors may have undermined the book; my observation is that it seems to result in a lot of books that are a little blander than they should be, perhaps because the primary author's distinctive vision has some edges filed off. That's pure speculation though.½

I found this book blander and less interesting than the first, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the main premise of the volume is the capture of the entire group. Having discovered five apparently uniquely-powerful individuals, all of them young teenagers, and being constantly under threat of war from sea-dwelling Merlons, the island of Etlantya and all its wise sages allow them to go off into a secluded cove to practise swimming, without any kind of guard or protection other than the wall that will definitely protect them. Despite the fact that Merlons have already dug a tunnel into the very centre of the island in the previous book. There's not even anyone watching. And when one of them does spot danger, the others decide it's a joke (because it's not like they're at war or anything), so they don't escape. It was just not plausible for me.

I mean, there's apparently not even any kind of magical alarm or ward or a way for people swimming to alert the island to an attack from swimming people. You'd really think that'd be one of the very first things they'd make...

The bulk of the book consists of their undersea adventures, or rather them being underwater while people exposit at them. There's a lengthy escape sequence, which eventually fizzles out with them all being captured again. I couldn't work out what the point of this was, narratively speaking. It demonstrates their helplessness, but it's a very lengthy way to do that and it was already kind of obvious. The natural momentum of the scene seemed to be building towards a rescue by the magic carpet, but that dissipates, to be reused in the *second* escape. It's not the worst thing ever, but it felt unnecessary to me and made the book seem quite repetitive.½

A decent YA altenate world adventure, easy to read and fairly pacey. The worldbuilding is relatively novel. You can see the twist coming miles off, but that's partly because it's being flagged up well.

A slight reservation is the handling of the other worlds. I found something a little odd about the other offworld characters and the presentation of their home worlds. You have a proud sultan's son with a djinn riding a magic carpet, and a tough spear-wielding dark-skinned girl from the wilds of Afirik. On the one hand, yay diversity and I quite liked the actual characters. On the other, there's something a little weird about this because despite being from different worlds, they are so fundamentally a mythical Persian and an African tribal warrior (thus also honestly pretty clichéd).

I think the reason it jars is because it's taking Earth people and their cultural background, but saying they're aliens. I mean, is Afirik basically a whole world that's one specific perception of Africa but with some magic? Is Irrakesh a whole world that's the Arabian Nights? They sound that way in the book. Earth isn't so limited. And if magic carpets and djinni are (in this storyline) tied to another world, then what about actual Arabian mythology?

It just feels strange because these could just as easily be other people sucked in from Earth, and by making them from other worlds that are (apparently) restricted to those concepts, it seems to restrict both the characters and the worldbuilding, while also putting an odd distance between the middle-class white Americans and the two non-white kids who are literally from other worlds despite being so obviously based on Earth ideas. I do wonder how non-white kids would find this.

The final confrontation between the Shadow Academy and the Jedi Academy. Zekk, his pain all too clear, attacks his former friends Jaina and Jacen. Tenel Ka takes out the witch Tamith Kai. And Luke destroys the evil Academy, with his former apprentice (now evil) Brakkis, within it. I was so, so excited to read this when it came out, and I don't believe I was disappointed.

Jaina and Jacen return to Coruscant for a vacation and see an old friend, Zekk. But though the twins have had plenty of adventures, they've never experienced the problems Zekk has. Orphaned, destitute, without any support, Zekk has been making a living in the underworld of the city. He feels humiliated by his old friends' success and obvious privilege. They try to include him, but after he eats the centerpiece at a feast (thinking it to be a salad), he refuses to have anything to do with them. Instead, he is recruited by the Shadow Academy, where the witches twist and train him to be a dark Jedi.

It's fascinating to me that there are still serious class issues and poverty in the New Republic, but it makes sense--Lucas's universe is based on the ideal of elitism. For a young adult book, there is a great deal of tension here.

The Jedi trainees go to Kashyyyk, where they hope to help Lowbacca's younger sister complete a dangerous rite of passage. I liked the insight into the Wookie culture, and it helped differentiate Lowbacca for me, who I'd previously passed over.

The witches of Dathomir, introduced in [b:The Courtship of Princess Leia|161540|Star Wars The Courtship of Princess Leia|Dave Wolverton|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51D2GQ6S6TL._SL75_.jpg|806845], are back. And they've started an evil "Shadow Academy" to train Jedi for a resurrected Emperor! And they want Jaina and Jacen to join! Hahhaha, wut? Still, lots of fun, not least because there's a good bit of Luke and some more characterization for Tenel Ka.

The Jedi trainees are ready to make their lightsabers, but Tenel Ka is impatient with herself. She rushes the delicate process, and her lightsaber gives out during a training duel with Jacen--and his lightsaber promptly cuts off her arm. Stricken, Tenel Ka returns to her homeworld. She has always defined herself as a warrior, and now she thinks herself useless. But her grandmother's tough love, and her friends' good sense, convince her that she can still be a warrior, and she returns to the Academy to complete her training.

I loved this book. Tenel Ka shines, and the friendships feel real and specific. There's a scene where the twins teach her to braid her hair with only one hand that I remember to this day. And the book doesn't pull back in its portrayal of her grief and feelings of worthlessness. In this book, the characterization IS the plot.

Oh how I adored these books. It took two weeks of saving up my lunch money to get each one, but they were worth it. Jaina and Jacen are bestest friends, and they are training to be Jedi Knights at their uncle's academy. Through a series of adventures, they become good friends with Chewie's nephew Lowbacca (who I sadly do not remember at all) and the proud Tenel Ka. Lots of pep and energy to these books, and a nice lack of any huge Imperial plot or resurrected Sith.

So of all three books, I only disliked this one. Yes i get that the trilogy is cliched, trite, and rather static, but for some reason I enjoyed the first two. This one had a cliche every paragraph, the characters "hooked up" right in the last 2 pages, and a whole host of other problems. So, like yeah, whatever.

Han's past catches up with him and puts Han and his children in a dangerous situation.

This book is too short for the story in it to be properly fleshed out, which leaves the minor characters flat and unrealistic and the climax, because it hinges on those characters, is abbreviated and completely unbelievable.

The writing is adequate and the first half of the story is more entertaining. Definitely will not read again.½

Leia and Han's twins are studying at Luke's Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. They make new friends - and discover old enemies.

This was a light, quick read. The characters are surprisingly well-drawn and the plot is straightforward enough that it doesn't hinder that, nor is it bogged down by how many main characters there are. Everything is a bit too pat at the end, but honestly, one only expects so much from tie-in novels. The story is fun, the movie characters are recognizable, everything seems to fit the universe. I won't read it again, but it was a pleasant way to spend an evening.

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Cousins Gwen and Vic Pierce, the protagonists from CRYSTAL DOORS, are back in this exciting follow-up, along with some of the other great characters we came to know and love in the first book: Uncle Cap, Ali el Sharif, Tiaret, Lyssandra, and even the wonderful djinni, Piri.

The magic of the world of Elantya is also back, along with the Citadel, Sharif's magic carpet, Tiaret's warrior skills, Lyssandra's telepathic and interpreting abilities, and the natural curiosity of Gwen and Vic. Unfortunately, that also means that the bad guys from the first book, most noticeably the merlons and their king, Barak, have also returned.

Uncle Cap (Gwen's uncle and Vic's father) has made it through the crystal doors and finally arrived on Elantya. But even before a happy reunion can happen, the merlons kidnap Gwen and Vic, none too happy about the last skirmish that took place. This time, their plans are even greater: they're hoping for total destruction of the Elantyan world and, quite possibly, the crystal doors themselves.

The twins will have to use all of their knowledge and wits to keep this from happening. Thankfully, they also have their close friends to rely on, as well as some new allies. It's not going to be an easy feat, but somehow they must defeat King Barak, Orpheon, and Azric's immortals.

The climax of OCEAN REALM is a fantasy-lover's dream, with action-packed scenes that will have you flipping pages as quickly as you can. Readers of the first two books in the series will be eagerly anticipating the third, SKY REALM, set to be released in June 2008.