Sarah Jean HorwitzRecensioni

In this 2024 Lone Star selection, Nack loves his family but fails them, leading to him being ousted by his family. They are the mighty Furnival clan. Clans fight constantly for power and land. When Nack allows a kid to escape instead of killing him, Nack is blamed for the rival family coming and winning the battle. His brother witnesses Nack's cowardice and supports Nack's ouster. Nack abounds with goodness and has no violence within him, which is why he couldn't justify killing; the reason didn't seem to fit the violence. He does, however, need to prove himself, which leads to a whole new life for him.

Nack finds himself in a barn where the innkeeper takes some kindness upon him. His situation gets worse when some adolescent hooligans take his sword while he's sleeping. How can he prove himself without a sword. He hears about some trouble happening up in the hills and decides he will prove himself. He needs to beat the itinerant knights who are headed that way to solve the problem so that he can do it instead. He and the knights keep crossing paths, as Nack learns what true knights should be. Upon arriving, Nack finds monsters, but he also hears a voice and finds a sword. The sword Asperides. You see, Asperides is a demon sword, not an angel sword. Asperides chooses not to mention this fact. He has been holding an evil sorcerer hostage, but someone is awakening the sorcerer. Therefore, Nack needs to grab the sword and fight the monsters and try to keep the sorcerer from attaining his soul back. The catch is that any wielder of the sword will condemn his soul to hell for eternity, boundin the sword. Nack figures these conditions must be what every knight does with an angel sword. Nack pulls the sword out, agrees to the terms, and learns that the sword is very verbal, talking in his head all of the time.

Nack and the knights retreat in order to make the greater plan of how to defeat the evil sorcerer who has been raised by a young girl who loves evil. Asperides lacks patience and finds himself annoyed by this hapless youth. He controls him for a while, but Nack's goodness cannot be controlled and begins to rub off on Asperides. How embarrassing! Nack focuses on regaining his place in his family, which Asperides has not time for, but he does know that he must train Nack in sword fighting. They end up rescuing a young moon seer from her nunnery. The knights, the girl, and Nack eventually will have to battle the sorcerer. To keep the story fun and to not give anything away, I'm stopping there.

You will enjoy the book--it's kind of a silly, funny book. It's good vs evil. It's also a standalone, but it does leave room for another book if the author wanted.½

This was such a fun book! I believe that this middle grade fantasy is a perfect read for both younger readers and adults. We meet the sword Asperides right away once I realized a sentient sword would be one of the main characters, I knew that I was in for a good time. I was entertained by this fascinating tale from beginning to end.

Nack has been cast out by his family and hopes to prove his worth by completing a task to win back his place. I felt horrible for Nack since he was truly on his own with no place to go and even loses his sword right away. He decides to go on a knight’s quest where he finds Asperides and enters into a contract believing it is an angel sword. Nack was such a great character and I adored his interactions with Asperides. I found this story to be really exciting with quite a few surprises worked in. The characters all grow and change over the course of the story as they try to do what is right.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Mark Sanderlin did a great job with the story. I have listened to this narrator’s work on a couple of adult romance novels so it was fun to see him tackle a different genre. I thought that he did a great job with the various character voices which helped to bring the story to life. I do believe that his narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It was an entertaining story featuring wonderful characters that should appeal to a wide range of readers. I would not hesitate to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Algonquin Young Readers.

Characters were flat. The plot wasn't gripping. I didn't care about anyone or anything and ended up skimming the last few chapters to get it over with.

Carmer and Grit are back and better than ever. This time Carmer and Grit run into Bell, a balloonist with pilot aspirations. Together they go and see the Rinka Tinka show, since the forward criers seem to have a bit of REAL magic helping them out. After their fiasco back home they felt they should investigate to see if there is any funny business going on with forced fairy labor.

They ended up finding a LOT more than they bargained for.

Lots of cool twists and turns and I enjoyed it very much, if you liked the first book definitely give this one a try!½

Felix Carmer III, aspiring inventor and tinkerer, sees his work as a magician's apprentice as worthwhile but only a means to an end. But with his employer's show not doing so well as of late, he finds himself invested in helping them win the grand prize in a magic competition--which may be more difficult than it seems. When he unexpectedly crosses paths with a faerie--a faerie??--he learns that there is a real magic that goes well beyond the tricks they perform in the show. But he also learns things that make him question some of the scientific advancements that have recently intrigued him as well.

Grit, faerie princess of the Seelie court, has never really felt like she fit in anywhere. Yes, she's a princess, but she was born with only one wing and many would say she doesn't act like a princess. But she isn't going to set aside her sense of adventure or curiosity just because it is what people expect of her. And when faeries from across Skemantis start disappearing, she finds herself on a quest to help find out who is behind it. And that quest brings her to a young magician's apprentice named Carmer. And while he seems an unlikely ally, he may just be the one person who can help her find out what is going on and put an end to it before more faeries are hurt.

I do not give many five-star ratings, but there was no question for me when I finished this book that it deserves it. I found myself quickly lost in the world of Skemantis, invested in the characters, and drawn to turn each page by wonderful pacing, description, and action. I particularly enjoyed the partnership between Carmer and Grit, both the way it developed and the dynamic between the two of them as the story drove on. For the first book in a series, this is a great start, and I look forward to reading future installments.

[Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance reading copy of the book received from the publisher in advance of publication.]

One of my favorite books of the last decade. I love Clementine and the rest of the book's characters. I strongly suggest this for mother-daughter read out loud book time.

Incredible world building that I haven't really experienced in a while. This was read with my 10/yr old daughter and we were thoroughly enchanted. The character building is top notch as well. Be warned, there are some dark, dark elements to this story, but they fit entirely. The bad guy is, well, both classic and yet seems new. I can't wait to read the next one and see where these two are going.

At first I just kind of liked this, but by the end I found myself really into the whole story and loving Clementine quite a bit so I bumped it up to 4 stars. At first it reminded me a little bit of [b: Castle Hangnail|22504710|Castle Hangnail|Ursula Vernon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408312316l/22504710._SX50_.jpg|41951499], but it's got a very different tone after the beginning. I loved the mixture of characters and I REALLY loved Darka's story arc. It's a weird blend of funny, poignant, and magical, so if you're looking for something a bit different it would be a good choice.

Characters were flat. The plot wasn't gripping. I didn't care about anyone or anything and ended up skimming the last few chapters to get it over with.

Overall, this fantastical tale of magic, fairies, and evil inventors attempting to enslave fairies makes for fun reading. The pace is quick, and filled with humor and sympathetic characters. I particularly like Grit as a character - she's certainly a hot-tempered princess and rebelling against the constraints of her position. I can see fans of young adult fantasy really enjoying this book, and other in the series it's likely to be.

Clementine’s father, the Dark Lord, is not doing well. It appears that he has been cursed. He forbids Clementine from going after the witch who placed the curse, and demands that she remain at the castle, overseeing the farm and grounds. But it’s obvious that her father’s magic is failing, and she’s going to need some help around the farm. Plus, the Council of Evil Overlords is demanding evidence of a dastardly deed in order for her father to remain in good standing. What’s a girl to do?

This book is good fun, though it perhaps doesn’t rise to the level of Diana Wynne Jones or Patricia C. Wrede. The characters are great and there’s some nice humor, but I thought the plot meandered a bit in the middle. Still, recommended for readers who enjoy this sort of juvenile fantasy.

I received a gratis copy of the ebook for award consideration.

The Dark Lord Clementine is an incredibly witty, fun frolic in a fresh new fantasy world. I would have adored this book as a kid and enjoyed it as an adult too--and had to fight the urge to giggle aloud more than once as I read in a waiting room.

Clementine is the only child of the Dark Lord Elithor. She's been raised in isolation, instructed in the importance of villainy as she helps to manage their silent farm with nightmares and flaming chickens. When her father comes down with a dreadful curse, Clementine does her best to manage the estate, but as loneliness and desperation sets in, she is determined to take on the witch who cursed her father... and instead falls in with some people who might, possibly be her first friends.

What I loved about this book was that it's delightfully amusing and that the moral lesson of the book is always kept fun, never preachy. Clementine--and her dad--can't be TOO evil, after all. The end of the book is packed with surprises, too. Really, it's a fantastic read start to finish. How can I not love a book that has a spell-book-turned-into-a-chicken?

I know lots of kids who will love Clementine! She is dark (of course, as an evil warlord) but also caring. She cared about keeping her Dad in the evil Lord business. I liked how she interacted with her friends and just how the whole world came together.

Why this book isn’t more well-known I have no idea. I rather enjoyed it. It combines steampunk and fairies. How unique is that? Too many books competing I guess.

Carmer III is a mechanical tinkerer and magician’s apprentice working the rural circuit. When he learns that a magic competition is happening in the highly automated city of Skemantis, he convinces The Amazifier to enter the competition. The fact that automaton genius Titus Archer is going to be there is icing on the cake for Carmer.

Grit is a royal fairy with only one wing. She’s a little bit of a rebel and likes to leave her protected arboretum on the border of Skemantis to mingle with the street fairies. On her latest excursion, she witnesses a damaged fairy, nearly dead. Wingsnatchers are after the fairies.

Carmer and Grits’s paths cross when Grit mistakes Carmer for a friend of the fairies. He’s not a friend of the fairies. He, like everyone else, didn’t realize fairies exist. Since she’s blown her fairy cover, she elicits Carmer’s help in stopping the Wingsnatchers. It doesn’t take Carmer long to discover that the impressive illusionist, The Mechanist, and his idol, Titus Archer, are one and the same. He’s hatched a bizarre plan to harness fairy magic for clean energy. As you can imagine, the fairies have not signed on for this.

This book is full of action, adventure, and narrow escapes. The plot follows the common format of evil person being chased down and stopped by good person. It’s a hero/villain story with fairies thrown in for a nice change up. I especially like the idea of street fairies and I would have liked a little more of them in the story. Cover is beautiful by the way. A little on the long side.

I read this book about a year ago, just before my friend who ran the blog LuxuryReading passed away from cancer. I got this book from her to review, and I am just now getting to the review.

Carmer and Grit was an excellent Young Adult book and I need to look to see if the sequel has been written and released yet. Carmer is a Magician's apprentice and Grit is a 'disabled' fairy princess. Both get drawn together to solve a mystery of magic. Fairies are disappearing and the ones that survive are missing their wings and have horror stories.

Carmer and troop have come to town to participate in a magic contest, but the favorite seems to be in a class by himself, and he has a beautiful shimmery cape. No one knows his real identity but he has much darker secrets than just that.

Both Carmer and Grit are coming to the age of learning what it is to be an adult with adult decisions and responsibilities.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent book and I highly recommend it!

I flew through this book it was so fun reading it. The book follows Carmer, a human, and Grit, a fairy princess on a magical adventure. They meet great characters along the way, while they fly in flying houses, and watch floating circuses. I found myself so absorbed in the book I lost track of time. I am going to have to go buy the first book in the series now that I have read this one. Book 2 can stand alone you are not lost joining these characters in their second adventure. Fun, quick read that makes you want more.

I did not read the first book in this series, which didn't prove a problem. But I'll definitely be going back and reading it (and highly recommend starting off with book one) simply because this is such an amazing story!

When a balloon and it's rider crash into the roof, Carmer (a tinkerer) and his best friend Grit (a fairy princess) discover a glider in the wreck with an invitation to a flying circus. The two quickly discover this isn't an ordinary flying circus and fear that there might be some evil plans behind the mysterious magic connected to it.

This is sold as a read for the middle grade audience, and although fitting to the age group, it's a book which will thrill even older readers. The author does a fantastic job at bringing this magical world with steampunk elements to life. It is rich and detailed and a sheer fantasy delight. By no means does it ever talk down to readers, bur rather pulls them up into an intricate world.

Carmer and Grit make a delightful combination. While Carmer is a young inventor who keeps his head pretty much on the ground and focused, Grit follows the heart and dreams. She's a fairy princess, but by no means glittery and full of pink puffiness. She's sweet but like her name, full of grit. Simply the fact that Carmer helped her replace a lost wing through his mechanics and then the fairies added their own magic, demonstrates the closed connection and harmony these two have. The friendship isn't perfect but golden.

Dull is not a word to describe this tale. There are wonders, action, magic, evil plans, dangerous situations and adventure the entire way through. Every page shines with imagination and lures deeper into the fantastical world.

The mashup of steampunk and magic (by way of the Fae) seemed a promising one. More thoughts to come.

3 stars

This is a fantasy about a young boy and a one winged fairy. Carmer, the boy, is a member of a magic troop that is going to a competition against others in that field. The fairies can offer extra power to their magic tricks. There are villainous robot cats that are terrors in this world. This is the first part of a trilogy geared to a young adult audience and I think it will be very popular. A rising new star in this genre.