So You Think You Know Prince Charming...

Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long, I was finding some new material to review. For this week's book, I will be reviewing the first in its series and then reviewing the rest later. Don't worry, I'll have links to each review on all three posts in case you missed one. Alright know for the mystery book I have been talking about for two sentences. Now three. THE HEROES GUIDE BY CHRISTOPHER HEALY

Here's our summary and review: Everyone thinks they know Prince Charming and their precious princesses. The thing is, they don't. Turns out Prince Charming is actually four princes, and they have names other than Prince Charming. There's Frederic, a prince who will hide under a bush when he sees dirt. Although, that isn't very logical since there is probably dirt behind the bush. In short, Frederic has been raised by a strict dad who gets into his brain. Therefore, Frederic thinks only about etiquette and royal balls which is the same place he met his adventurous fiancee, Ella, aka Cinderella. Ella isn't a blonde stupid girly-girl who cleans happily. Ella is a tough brunette, who is ready for adventure, with her trusty sidekick, her always thinking brain. Across a map in the kingdom of Erinthia, Liam is running away from his destiny. He was betrothed to Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) who actually turns out to be a wicked brat. Believe it or not people! And Briar and Liam's parents are trying to have him married for riches. One of seventeen, Prince Gustav finds it hard to do anything right and get credit for it in Sturmhagen. After his fail trying to save Rapunzel, he's the laughing stock of not only his kingdom, but all thirteen kingdoms. So it's a given that he'll try to make up for it. He's got potential, but he'll need help. On the other hand, Duncan of Sylvaria is happily living with Snow White in a cozy cottage. They both find joy in being spontaneous and naming random animals. Snow is getting tired of having Duncan always stick to her side, though. She sends him on a short walk, which will change everyone's fate. All four princes run into each other, and set off on a quest to save the world-- and Ella, although the princes don't know it yet, is doing quite fine being a captive. Later, the League of Princes is formed, and so is the enemy. The same one the League is out to defeat. I'm going to give this book 4 stars ****. The plot is action packed, the characters are well formed, and their bonds are no different. But the best is yet to come. The first book is really just going to set up the next book, which is why I don't suggest reading the books out of order. The plot isn't as brilliant as the others. Therefore, I have to give this book a four out of five. Look out for next week's review of Death City!

First Review: FABLEHAVEN

Ello my fellow bloggers! This blog's first review is on Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, a thrilling book that connects with not only magic, but Greek Mythology [squeals]. Sorry...got to compose myself before I go off running around the room screaming that I love Greek Mythology. I feel that it's time for a bit of Summary Time with a cup of tea (or Joe, if you're fancy-smanshy like that). Staying at an old mansion with your grumpy grandparents you barely know isn't exactly Kendra and Seth's ideal vacation. They would rather go on an all adult trip on a Scandinavian cruise. Much more...normal. Seth and Kendra have to cope with their ancestors that they barely know, a dusty bedroom with no up to date toys, and--oh my gosh--no cell service. Along with a mystery that Kendra is supposed to figure out on her own, she has to make sure her brother doesn't go off into forbidden areas. Which is pretty much impossible for Seth. With his trusty emergency kit (that stores mostly unnecessary thing such as firecrackers), he heads off into the woods. The fact he ignores the whole "Young man, you better not step a foot into that woods or you will face the consequences" thing, gets him into deep trouble, bringing his sister down with him. The siblings stumble upon a world of beautiful magic. And soon they find out that it's far too dangerous. Too dangerous for even the most powerful to handle... That's our summary, and now I will take on the tricky role of rating the book in stars [*]. You can go ahead and yell at me if I score incorrectly according to your standards. Our first book of the blog gets a rating of [drum role please] *** 3 stars! Now why I gave it the score I did... Fablehaven is a great book filled with action and mystery. The characters are well developed. Brandon uses the normal way to start the story, get rid of the parents and go to a mystical land filled with magic. We got to the mystical world of magic, but it took us a while to literally get to the 'mystical' and 'magic' part. I guess that was supposed to surprise the reader. But really, there was no thought in my mind at the time that questioned if it was a mystical place. It was described as any old mansion; old, dusty, and boring. If it weren't for me reading a textbook on fairies when I was little, I wouldn't have guessed what the things in the garden were. Another flaw that bothered me a bit: the sister-brother relationship wasn't strong enough. It just felt like Kendra and Seth were just friends who were different ages. Sorry Brandon, but it was just a fact nagging me throughout the book. I recommend this book to ages 10 and up, also to the people who like mythical fiction stories.Besides those two flaws, GREAT BOOK!