What to read after... The Novice (Summoner Series)

First things first, 3 out of 4 of these books have magical pet sidekicks so you should read them just because of that but if you need more reasons why keep reading below...

Spellslinger 
Spellslinger is not like your average Magic bets all kind of book which is why i think its a great book to read after The Novice because The Novice is full with non magical characters who are still cunning and strong just like the main characters in Spellslinger. 
Spellslinger is set in a world full of strong magical characters but the main characters magic abilities but those magical abilities seem to have skipped Kellen, he relies on cheap imitations and sleight of hand magic to get by , but when Kellen makes an enemy of the wrong people he will need to learn more then just flashy tricks and with his magic abilities looking like they will never activate he will need to assemble some strong allies too  

Brotherhood of Thieves
The brotherhood of Thieves follow a group of street thieves recruited by a secret organisation to be trained tomb raiders, where they rob them of ancient artifacts and magical weapons to supply the kings army that is protecting the board against the  hideous and gruesome civilization on Roon (kinda like a troll). Each recruit is gifted a magic creator to help them achieve there mission which reminds me of the Demons that are summoned in The Novice. So if you loved the sidekicks in The Novice you will definitely need to read Brotherhood of Thieves (and as an added bonus all three books are about as long as one Novice book so we will be finished in no time!)  

Darren Shan Cirque Du Freak
Now why read this series after The Novice? I added it in because Darren and Fletcher are very similar characters, the similarity's between the two books are very little but if you like the take charge attitude of Fletcher you will like Darren, and Darren's story also leads him into different worlds and fights to death just as regularly as Fletcher's does and he makes just as many great friends along the way as Fletcher does. Its definitely worth a look ..

The Demon King
If you loved The Novice you will fly through The Demon King! The Novice is the baby brother to The Demon King, The Novice wants to be like The Demon King when it grows up. Everything is this book is bigger and better! More intrigue, more crazy plot lines and bigger bad guys. The book follows Han a boy who used to be a notorious gang leader in the slums but has reformed his ways to care for his sick younger sister but street thugs wont let you leave that easily so Han spends most of his time with his other clan family in the mountains where he hunts and gathers for money for his sister. One day Hans catches some of the rich wizards from town burning a sacred hunting ground, Hans and his clan brother, Fire Dancer, surround them and force them to give up the magical amulet which will stop them being able to burn down anymore of the sacred forest. This action sparks a series of events for Hans changes his life forever, because he is now in possession of an ancient amulet that belong to The Demon King, a man that nearly destroyed the world 100's of years before. Now Hans knows that he cant let this amulet fall back into the hands of the family he took it from or that could mean the end of the world as he knows it, but making this stand will have it consciousnesses and they might be more then Hans is able to handle. 

Manga Review: Blue Exorcist

Rin's not having a good day, when he returns home with signs that hes been in another fight his father decides that this is the last straw and suits him up and sends him out to find a           job, arrgh! not how Rin wanted to spend his day.  While walking to his new job he is surrounded again by the same jerks that started the fight that morning .. but this time things are different the groups leader seems to have a tail and horns? But before he can figure out why, things quickly escalate and Rin's life is now in danger and Rin explodes into blue flames - the legendary powerful blue flames of the son of Satan. In that moment Rin's life changes forever and hes pulled into the life of an Exorcist - a group of elite people trained to hunt and eliminate demons.

Rin now has his work cut out for him, he needs to learn how to control his powers before the leaders of the Exorcist's think hes to unpredictable and dangerous and lock him up, he must also learn to work as a team with his fellow new recruits which wont be easy because they all think he is going to burn them alive at any minute and on top of all that he wants to learn who is is and what this flame means for him...

P.S wait until you meet the coolest sidekick, Kuro !

Review from a book club kid: A Court of Wings and Ruin

It was so good. ;-;

   

I might've cried about how good it is. It's a trilogy worth reading and I'm happy I did!

  

Over to Azriel and Cassian

  

++++++++++++++++++++++

  

*Azriel starts the powerpoint*

Cassian: why hello everyone, you have arrived at this review. Congrats lets give a round of applause for our amazing readers,

*No one claps, but Cassian.*

*Azriel changes the slide*

Cassian: -coughs-Let's just say that this book makes us sound amazing, strong and cool and the Night Courts High Lady shine.

*Cassian glances at the powerpoint, slowly getting ticked off*

  

Azriel reads what's on the slide: Rhys obviously has the biggest wingspan

*Cassian storms out, Cassian: I CAll TrEaSon! AmREn gO GeT mE a RuLeR!*

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Club Readers.

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Review from a book club kid: The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a moving, compelling story set in Germany during World War II. It tells the story of Liesel Memeinger, a young girl sent to live with a foster family in Munich. During her time there, she learns to read and in doing so, her passion for books and literature grows. Word's become Liesel's escape and soon her downfall as she begins to read whatever she can get her hands on; illegal or not. Recounted and narrated by Death himself, The Book Thief teaches us to pursue what we love, as it will help us during dark times.

Due to the popularity and wide-spread love this novel received, it was turned into a movie starring Geoffry Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nélisse and released in 2013.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

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Review from a book club kid: You're Welcome Universe

 You're Welcome Universe, centres around the life of Deaf Indian teenager, Julia and the struggles she encounters around her identity. Art is Julia's life—street art to be accurate, which isn't always legal—and is her way of leaving a mark on the world. When graffiti appears in their school gym, calling out her best friend, Julia steps in to help with a plan of her own. However, she finds herself brutally backstabbed and expelled. Sent off to a mainstream school, Julia must now navigate high school relying on an interpreter. Upon befriending a new classmate, Julia learns some influential life lessons and that a disability isn't a restriction, but part of her identity.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs .
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Review from a book club kid: A Court of Mist and Fury (Book 2)

PEOPLE READ IT! The first book may be good but this is just like gone another level.

The author is really smart in how she made this book like I didn't know that this was a playoff from Beauty and The Beast. Exceptional plot twists and her characters are amazing.

You may have disliked Rhysand, because of the first book, but guys you guys are going to love this dude and his friends.

Overall I loved it and now I'm off to read the next book!

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

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Review from a book club kid: Again!! Vol 1

Okay, guys, I didn't think that this was good until I sat down and gave it a good read. I was wrong * Hands Up* it's really good, it gave me a huge Haikyuu!! vibe. I thought this was Shojo since it was a slice of life manga but..... surprise surprise it's a Shonen!

At first when I picked it up and I was like huh. The character here on the first volume sorta looks like a gender-bent Sasuke.

I have to say, this series has a really good storyline and it's been set up perfectly and there really isn't anything that I would fault about it. All the characters have different perks and personalities. This series is really relatable to highschoolers nowadays and teaches us a good lesson. 

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

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Review from a book club kid: InuYasha Umnibus 13

For once, this manga has started without picking up where another has had a 'to be continued...' 

(right in the middle of a fight).

The series is about a group of people (3 humans, 1 half-demon and 1 full demon who is a kid) trying to defeat an extremely-powerful-and-hard-to-kill-half-demon.

I personally really enjoy this series because of the creativity and thought put into each character. The artist is extremely good at drawing expressions. on top of that the story line is amazing if you enjoy long action and adventure series.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs .
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Review from a book club kid: Children if the whale Vol 7

Children of the Whales is a book about people who are descended from criminals stranded on an island. They know nothing about their ancestors' sentence and the outside world.

In this volume, while sailing towards a country that they're hoping will ally with them the group of main characters are uncovering their past. The reason this would have to be my favorite volume is that is full of mystery, discovery and adventure.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

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Review from a book club kid: A Mouse Musical

In this book mouse ford academy has a musical.
The headmaster needs to find a story for the musical so she takes a walk and sees the Thea sisters had tripped over. That gave her an idea. Pam had flags tangled around which reminded the headmaster of the lion from the wonderful wizard of oz. Nicky was covered with straw from the broom with looked like the scarecrow. Violet had a bucket on her which looked like the tin man. So they decided on the wizard of oz.
The auditions started first was acting which Craig didn't want to do but Ryder convinced him to. In the audition ruby sabotaged violet with a hot lollie. Then dancing where ruby put oil on Nicky's shoes. Then singing which Paulina auditioned before ruby could sabotage her. The Thea sister set up a secret audition for Craig because he was nervous to sing. Paulina asked him to practice with her when everyone was listening secretively. Read it to find out who got what parts.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 
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Review from a book club kid: Thea Stilton The Secret Invention

The secret invention is when the Thea sisters have a science fair coming up with all the big scientists judging. So they work there hardest and create a invention called the Mousepod 3000.
The Mousepod 3000 helps people walk if their injured or lazy.
Ruby flashy fur (the mean girl) comes back from her holiday and hears about the contest and becomes determined to win the contest cheating or not. Ruby is a cheater so of course she didn't make it she brought it by a famous scientist. Ruby brought a floating island it floats on water. Ruby sabotaged the Thea sisters invention with a virus and made it walk of a cliff. So their school didn't compete in the science fair.
The end

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

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YA Manga Review: Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist is here !!

After two brothers make a huge mistake they set off on an adventure to right their wrongs, but its not as easy as they think. Edward's only option is to join the State Alchemists which isn't really where he wants to be, but its the only place that might have the answers he needs.

             Edward Elric aka The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother Alphonse Elric number one goal is to undo their big mistake but as they get closer to their goal they uncover more then they intended and encounter some unexpected enemies that have plans of there Elric brother that no one saw coming

Book Summary: A Very Unusual Pursuit

I think its about time for a mystery story, and this one seems a little on the creepy thrilling side.

Monsters live in the dark places of London and eat children who stray to close.

 Birdie has been working hard to hunt these monsters down.

She lures the beast out and Alfred kills them.

Life seems like business as usual until Alfred and Birdie's lives are changed by two interesting characters, Sarah the leader of a gang of pickpockets and a Edith who's studying mythical beasts. Both come with their own threats to everything Birdie knows but could they also be the help birdie needs to defeat an evil over taking London.

Book Summary: Half Upon a Time

I just look at these covers and I know its going to be a funny series!

May finds herself stuck in the fairy tale land that she has only read about in books. Totally confused to how she got there her path crosses with Jacks, the son of the famous Jack who stole from the giant up the beanstalk. Now, Jack has his own problems to worry about - finding a princess to rescue and locating his missing dad being high on his priority list - So with May now part of the mix our two characters are going to have a lot of work ahead of them...

This series seems like a great new twist on some classic fairy tales and my guess is it wont disappoint

Book Summary: The Last Wild

A customer asked me whats a book to read after How to Bee by Bren MacDibble so i told her to give The Last Wild a go.

The story is set in a world where animals no longer exist (which is about the saddest thing i could imagine!) Our main character Kester lives in a home for unwanted troubled kids and as you can imagine hes told hes not worthy everyday so one day when Kester stumbles upon a group of animals and is taken to where the last animals on earth are hidden Kester thinks he has finally lost it, but this is not some crazy delusion and these animals are real and they really need his help. The animals have saved Kester so now its up to Kester to save them and with the help of some great characters along the way this is turning out to be a great series !

New Comics!

COMICS COMICS COMICS!!!

Book Summary: The Nothing to See Here Hotel

With 6 different authors giving this book nothing but amazing praise and review after review after review saying that its extremely funny i thought i need to add it to our blog.

The Nothing to See Here Hotel, is a hotel full with weird and wonderful guest including goblin pirate, tooth fairy sisters, trolls and so much more and one day the hotel gets a message informing them that a goblin prince is intending to stay at the hotel. This creates a bit of a panic as you can imagine but the excitement of his arrival soon turns to anger and regret as the goblin prince -with his bad attitude and a hidden secret- is not what they expected.

Book Summary: The House With Chicken Legs

Wanting that book with a difference.. what about a retelling of Baba Yaga?

Marinka is the grand daughter of non other then thee Baba Yaga, and is being trained to one day replace her Grandmother and take on the responsibility of guiding souls to the afterlife. But all Marinka wants most is a friend, with a constantly moving house (on chicken legs) and an intense training schedule there is no time for things so insignificant as a 'play date' so when Marinka has the chance at an actual friendship so throws tradition to the wind and controls her own life for once... which as you can imagine turns out not to be the best decision. Marinkas beloved grand mother mysteriously disappears and its now up the Marinka to sort out the mess she has made even if it means a magic filled adventure into the dangers of the afterlife.

:)

Book Summary: The Stone Girl's Story

Mayka was carved out of solid stone by a master stonemason and brought to live by the intricately carved symbols on her body, giving her the ability to see, speak, hear and even think for herself. Living atop a mountain range in a marble house Maykas father (the stonemason) also made her stone friends to keep her company including a small stone dragon, a quirky small bird and a noble stone griffin.

 After her fathers death many years ago the up keep on the carved symbols keeping them alive has fallen into disarray and now as time moves on more and more of Mayka friends are fading back into pure stone. Mayka decides there is only one thing for it... find a new master stonemason to help, that just means leaving the safety of her marble house and venture into the dangerous valley bellow.

New Books!!

Book Summary: Edge of Extinction

Basically imagine if no-one was able to stop the bad dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and they took over...

Because this seems like that story...

Humans manage to clone dinosaurs but they soon manage to make their way back to the top of the food-chain. With their obvious hunting ability and not so obvious killer virus the human population was quickly decimated, forcing the few living humans to live in compounds underground for the last 150 years, and one such human is our protagonist Sky, who is an orphan after her fathers disappearance.

Sky discovers a letter written by her father and with best friend Shawn she decides to go find him. Even if it means risking their lives against the dinosaurs

This book seems very "on the edge of your seat" reading and come on who hasn't thought about what the old would be like if dinosaurs still lived (although personally would like the Flintstones version of that world)

Book Review: Brotherhood of Thieves

Brotherhood of thieves is set back when horses were how you got home on time, you didn’t leave home without your sword and life on the streets leaves you cold, miserable and hungry… so when main character —orphan and street thief— Caspan gets given the chance to compete to join the brotherhood of thieves (a secret order sanctioned by the king) how could he pass it up.

The secret order specialise in treasure hunting, exploring ancient temples long left by an ancient race that lived on earth many moons ago, leaving behind their magical artifacts that are much needed by the kings army in a war against the Roon, the invading ork army .

After completing the first part of their training the five young apprentices – Caspan, Roland, Lachlan, Sara and Kilt - receive a very special gift reserved only for those in the Order… their own Wardens, a magical beast that they will train with to help them with their task, but when the group are sent on their first mission things don’t go to plan and the trainees must rely on each other and work together to survive.

This book would suit any reader that enjoys dragons, sword fighting, magical pets and funny banter. Also great for younger teens stepping up into teen books.

Book Summary: The False Prince

The false prince is a story about Saga, a sharped tongue quick witted orphan in a kingdom on the verge of civil war after a mysterious poisoning kills of all the next in line for the throne leaving the king with no heir.

Saga is one day approached by Connor, a nobleman who's plan is to find the perfect candidate to impersonate the kings long lost son who was proclaimed dead a sea year before. Saga is recruited with 3 other orphans but Connor is in only needs 1, so Saga is not only competing for a better life but also to stay alive.

Saga now must learn all the thing expected of a royal son - Sword-fighting, Horse riding, politics and customs, and the culture of the realm. The story is full of sabotage, intrigue and adventure.

Comic Review: Misfit City Vol 1

Short but sweet, can’t beat a comic I say.

I hardly touch comics but this one was pretty cool. Ever seen the movie Goonies? Well this comic is somewhat similar and I’m all for a trip down memory lane.

Nothing ever happens in this small hometown. But, when Wilder and her friends find an old pirate map, which has people chasing them to get it back the girls know they have found something special. Finally, something exciting is happening!

This a good read about mysterious adventures and the friends that make it all worth it!

Manga Review: Queens Quality

I'm loving this manga! Its a follow on from QQ Sweeper, a manga i didn't actually like but might give a second chance now.

It starts with Fumi getting magically attacked in her garden, when she fights back she releases an incredible dormant power inside of her which basically allows her to control people!

These powers come with a good side and a bad side. In order to not destroy the world with these new powers Fumi must learn to control the bad side before it controls her and if that wasn't hard enough other clans are plotting to use her bad powers for themselves no matter the cost!

With danger all around Kyutaro has taken on the challenge of "Queens guard" meaning he will sacrifice everything to keep Fumi safe.

But with Fumi starting to remember haunting memories from her past and Kyutaro hiding some serious secrets of his own do they have any chance of holding back the darkness...

Book Review: The Secret Deep

The Secret Deep. – Lindsay Galvin

You would think losing your mum to cancer would be enough to deal with let alone having to move to a completely different country and then your aunty taking you to live out in the bush with a bunch of kids each of them teaching and learning different ‘off the grid’ type of survival skills.

Aster and her little sister Poppy find it a little weird when nothing their aunty is saying or doing adds up. Who are these kids happy to live in the middle of nowhere?

Things get stranger when a so called boat trip to see bioluminescent algae turns into a trap. Locked inside the cabin gas starts to fill the room and the only one wearing a mask is aunty Iona. Waking up alone on a desert island Aster’s only hope to find any answers is the ocean.

But something else is out there. You can’t help but think, what exactly happened to the other kids? 

Intrigue. Thrills and out of nowhere twists makes this book a gripping read. This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat because I couldn’t quite figure it out.

Give it a read and if you could describe it in three words what would those words be?

Book Review: Cheerleaders

In a small town five cheerleaders are found dead.

Two of them are killed in a car crash so bad first responders' can't tell which girl is which. A few weeks later two more are found dead in their home. One strangled and the other one so badly cut she bleeds to death.

Police put the murders down to a creepy neighbor and the car accident to just that, an accident.

The fifth cheerleader Jen....well everyone thinks she killed herself because she couldn’t handle her friends dying.

Five years later Jen's little sister Monica finds Jen's old cell phone in her stepdads drawer. Along with photos with handwritten notes saying ‘the neighbor didn’t do it. Connect the dots’. Monica gets in contact with a stranger that was texting her sister on the morning she killed herself. And she gets a text back....(Suspenseful music).

Pretty much Monica looks into what really happened five years ago to her sister and her friends. Everyone that she comes into contact with has some part to play. I thought I had it all figured out by chapter three but I was so wrong.

Its such a easy read and in the end I was left feeling intrigued but a little sad because sometimes the tragedies in life don’t always have a reason for happening.    

Read this book and comment below how it made you feel.

This was book 1 for the 'Reading out of my comfort zone' challenge I set myself for this year. Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/napierlibraries/ to see what I'll be reading next. Join me on my challenge and see what new books you can find! (Remember to send us a photo of what you’re reading too).

Manga Review: Made in Abyss #1

Okay.. this was wonderfully strange. 

Made in Abyss was a different kind of fantasy story than I'm used too. The Abyss is basically a giant giant giant Cave System in the middle of the earth and is the only place left in the world that humans haven't fully explored. 

The mysterious thing about the Abyss is that the deeper you travel into the cave the worst it is for you to travel back to the top, so basically people don't return to the top they just keep exploring further down into the abyss and send up letters and artifacts when they can, which means the people on the surface still know very little about the lower levels of the abyss.  

The main characters are a group of children learning to be Cave Divers, People trained to explore the Abyss, while searching around Rico is attached by one of the many dangerous creators that roam the caves, she is mysteriously saved by a boy named Reg with mechanical arms and legs who has no memory of who he is or how he got there.

Rico and Reg quickly plan a secret adventure into the lower levels of the Abyss to find Rico's mother -an expert cave diver- after Rico receives what she believes is a coded message from her mother and to see if the lower levels will explain what Reg is and maybe trigger some of the memories he's lost - like why he needs a blaster canon built into his arm??

I'm definitely keen to see where this manga series goes and with the wacky mysterious story line anything could happen