Rose Gardening Handbook
Who Else Wants to Know How to Easily Grow Beautiful, Stunning, Healthy
Roses That Everyone Will Admire
in Just 10 Days or Less
- Guaranteed?
Who Else Wants to Know How to Easily Grow Beautiful, Stunning, Healthy
Roses That Everyone Will Admire
in Just 10 Days or Less
- Guaranteed?
January 7th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Fun fantasy,
Rose Seward is a typical young teen who bickers with her younger brother, is protective of her baby sister, puts up with her cat, Lassie’s, fondness for sleeping on her head, and crushes on cute boys. She is a proud nerd who loves to play an online computer game about Elven Warriors, and is too grown up to believe the bedtime stories Great Aunt Edith always told her, her brother and sister about how they were all descended from a Faerie princess. But when the family inherits Great Aunt Edith’s house, a house they might not be able to afford to keep, an ancient, rune-covered book, “The Book of Forests” reveals that the bedtime story was only a sugar-coated version of darker, more interesting truths. Throw in some antique rings the children feel compelled to wear, and a door with a stained-glass window that might lead to more than just an overgrown back yard, and you’ve got the start of a journey into a world of beauty, intrigue and treachery.
Okay, so, I am a sucker for well-written fantasy, especially fantasy that is solidly rooted in medieval and historical lore. Add a heroine who fights back rather than waiting to be rescued by the heroes, good guys who are capable of doing wicked things and bad guys who may have a point about why they are trying their power grab and I’m good to go. I also like lyrical writing and DeKelb-Rittenhouse’s prose smoothly transitions between contemporary sass and older, darker imagery when Rose reads passages in the rune-covered book that had been written centuries before. The worlds described in the book are vivid and immediate, whether the modern one in which the children live, the magical forest kingdom into which they venture, or the dystopian, science-fiction future they briefly glimpse on their journey home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it . As other reviewers have said, this is an engaging, page-turner of a story that will appeal to adults as well as children, which should surprise no one as some of the most popular books in recent years have been coming out of the YA portion of the literary world (Harry Potter, Twilight, Blood and Chocolate to name just a few.)
In DeKelb-Rittenhouse’s Faerie, crystal trees sing in the wind, tiny pixies fly about on chromatic wings, flowers bloom in swirls of colored smoke, and unicorns outrace the wind. It is also a dangerous world, with ogres ready to turn unwary travelers into supper, flits who carry their prey to far-off mountains, and wolves, cats and serpents that can shift into human form. And there is treachery, when Queen Mab, who happens to be the children’s great-grandmother, has no compunction about using them to safeguard her kingdom while half of those who befriend them at at her court have a claim to her throne and someone seems interested in pressing that claim. But, for all its treachery, beauty and danger, it is an inclusive world. Women warriors and blond haired, blue-eyed elves being closely related to elves as dark as “night, were night made mortal and turned to flesh” are simply presented as facts without comment. In some ways, that’s more of a fantasy then the magic with which Faerie is imbued, but it is also a refreshing fantasy.
Yes, there is definitely something here for readers of all ages: appealing characters, smart writing, intrigue, mystery, and (age-appropriate) romance. What more could you ask?
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|January 7th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
A richly rewarding read!,
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse’s book is one of those rare gems that remains in the mind long after the reader has closed the last page. The setting for ‘Book of Forests’–the beautifully depicted world of faerie–seems almost a character in its own right, quite capable of casting its very own magic spell. I admit to being enchanted, with no desire to leave. It was a treat to see this timeless, mythical realm through the eyes of three thoroughly modern, 21st century kids who just happen to be descendants of Mab, the powerful Faerie Queen. Feisty Rose, the main character, is engaging and so believable in her actions and reactions, especially in her interactions with her younger brother, Brian, and her younger sister, the classically fey Lily. Learning which of the three siblings has potential to be the future ruler of the faerie realm provided an exciting twist! There is also a interesting array of magical characters for Rose, Brian, and Lily to encounter, from pixies to wolves to lamia to a stray troll and a dragon or two. Full of well-spun prose, engaging characters, and plenty of action and intrigue in a faerie realm that made the leaving hard, this book is a true delight!
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