Inheritance series

By Christopher Paolini

One of the things my boys and I like to do is listen to audio books in the van. We listen on the way to and from school and on any trips we take. They love it, and they hate when we have to stop. 

It all started last summer when I took all 4 boys to MN by  myself to visit my parents. We couldn't watch videos so I thought we'd try books. That was one of the best idea I've ever had. Since last summer, we've listened to all of the Peter and the Starcatchers books by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, all of the Sisters' Grimm novels by Michael Buckley, The Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner, and a variety of other books. Last spring we started the Inheritance series because I thought the boys would like the dragons and adventure, and we just finished this week with the 4th book.

These books are like the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars rolled into one. There's action and adventure, battles and travel, elves, dwarves, urgals, and dragon riders. There's an evil, tyrant ruler (Galbatorix) and the rebels (the Varden) who are trying to get back control of the empire from him. And all of it rests on the shoulders of one young man named Eragon.

In the beginning, Eragon is just a 16 year old boy who lives with him uncle and cousin on their farm. He's nothing special, and his future looks boring. Until a large blue rock drops near him while he's hunting. He takes it home and it hatches. A beautiful blue dragon appears and chooses Eragon as her rider. He names her Sapphira, and they leave his home. Along their travels, they learn and grow, meet new people and discover enemies. He helps the Varden thwart Galbatorix, becomes an adopted dwarf, journeys to an elven city to learn from a hidden dragon rider, goes back to helping the Varden, fights against another dragon rider under Galbatorix's control (who just so happens to be his half brother), and falls in love. All of this leads to the final battle between the Varden and Galbatorix's army. Eragon is the only one who can defeat him, even if Galbatorix is stronger and wiser.

In the end, Eragon vanquishes Galbatorix as only he can. The Varden take over, and Eragon decides to leave to raise dragon eggs and riders somewhere more safe and remote.

What I liked: This books has lots of great characters with depth and complexities. Some of the side characters are especially great.  I really wish the author would write the back story on Angela. She's one of my favorite characters.  Also, the visuals and descriptions are fantastic! You can really picture everything in your mind. The story is engaging and exciting. My boys and I give it all a big thumb's up!!!

What I didn't like: Some of the descriptions were a little too much. Also, there were some scenes that were a little unnecessary. Sometimes it felt as if he were just trying to make it as long as possible.

This series is great for boys and girls, ages middle school and up. My boys loved it and always begging to hear more, but after listening to it, I think I should have waited a little longer to share this story with them. Some of the battle scenes were a little graphic, and I don't think that was good for my younger sons.

 
 
 

Empire of Storms

by Sarah J. Maas

I actually finished this 4 days ago, but it's been CRAZY in my world. This is the first chance I've had to put this up.

This book was amazing! It started where the other left off and kept going. I was full of twists and turns, just like the others, but I think Sarah J. Maas upped the ante some more. She brings in new characters but also some old ones that Celaena once knew. This book ends with a HUGE cliffhanger, and again I'm left waiting for the next one.

There is a small difference in this book. It starts with a prologue of sorts, going back in time to when King Gavin and Queen Elena were trying to defeat Erawan, a Valg King who was left in the world and was trying to take over.  It hints at how Elena and Gavin (Aelin's and Dorian's ancestors) contain Erawan. Unfortunately, as we all know, Erawan escapes and now Aelin and Dorian and everyone else have to deal with him.

Aelin and her court make it to Terrasen, her homeland, and meet with lords just to find out that they don't think she should be queen. She leaves, promising aid if they need it even if they are turning their backs on her. She travels to a coastal town with her court (Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra) and causes some trouble. Brannon, a long dead ancestor/god/Fae, visits her and tells her to find the Lock. Only with the Lock can the Wyrdkeys be placed back in the gate. They decide to head south to Skull Bay where Rolfe, the Pirate King, has promised to kill her if she should return. But she needs his help and comes up with a very creative way to get it.

Meanwhile, Erawan wants Dorian who sits alone in the shattered glass palace. He sends the witches to sack Rifthold, destroy the people, and capture Dorian, bringing him to Morath for Erawan to use. Manon, for reasons she doesn't understand, races to Rifthold and kills a witch to prevent Dorian's death. She helps him escape, sending him with Rowan. (Aelin heard about the upcoming destruction of Rifthold and sent Rowan to help save Dorian since he could get there fastest.) Rowan and Dorian escape and make their way to Skull Bay to await Aelin and the others. They also make friends with Rolfe and find that Gavriel and Fenrys, two of Rowan's group under Queen Maeve of the Fae, are already there. They were sent to kill Lorcan, another of their group who went rogue, trying to capture and destroy the Wyrdkeys before they destroyed his queen.  They all sit and wait for Aelin to come and explain her plan to Rolfe.

Manon heads back to Morath where she is tried for being a witch killer. She lies and says that Dorian was her kill and the other witch got in her way, allowing Dorian to escape. She is found guilty and her punishment is that her second, Asterin, will be killed. Instead of killing her, Manon attacks her grandmother, allowing her Thirteen to escape, but she is almost disemboweled. Also, her grandmother reveals that Manon is not all she thinks she is. She is the special. Manon falls off the ledge onto Abraxos, her wyvern, and he flies her away. She's losing too much blood and tells him to fly somewhere safe.

Aelin shows up and convinces Rolfe to join her cause. Again, she's very creative and sassy and it takes some strategic planning and conniving to get Rolfe to help, but in the end he does. She, with her reconnected court and Dorian, and a part of his crew head south to the Stone Marshes where the Lock is supposed to be located. Along the way, Manon and Abraxos show up. They heal Manon but keep her prisoner because they don't know if they can trust her. Dorian is drawn to her though and they get to know each other better. When they get to the Stone Marshes, Aelin and her small group travel inland. The Stone Marshes are a creepy place with vicious predators and dead bodies buried in the water. They find the chest when contains the Lock, but before they open it, they are attacked with a legion of one of Erawan's monsters.  Aelin digs deep, deeper than she's ever dug within her power, and throws everything she has at them. Anything she doesn't get is taken down by the others. Aelin utterly destroys the legion but also depletes her powers. She's empty.

They take the Lock and head back to the boat, only to find more ships waiting for her. They are led by Ansel of Briarcliff, Queen of the Wastes, and one time friend of Celaena. (Ansel is from the novellas. She betrayed Celaena and the Silent Assassins, but Celaena defeated her and spared her life. She called in the debt.) When they all are introduced and plan to head out, they all find another armada waiting. It's Queen Maeve waiting for surrender.  Aelin can't fight because she's depleted her powers. Instead, Dorian solves a riddle and send Aelin and Manon into the Lock, which is really a special mirror. They see the secrets of the past revealed, of how Elena and Gavin contained Erawan in the Lock. The Lock was only a one time thing and it was used once already. The only way to make it work again is for Aelin to fill it with her power. But to do that, she must give all she has.

Meanwhile, Rowan and Dorian and everyone else start to battle with Maeve's armada, trying to stay alive. However, they find out that Maeve is on the shore behind them. The tides of the fight turn, especially when Manon's Thirteen show up to help. This allows Rowan, Dorian, and the rest head to shore to find out what Maeve is doing.

Aelin and Manon return from the mirror, but not from where they started. They are on the shore where they find Maeve waiting. Maeve demands too much, and Aelin sacrifices herself. Maeve takes her away in an iron coffin, vanishing before anyone can stop them. Manon, however, has a great secret! It's a great one.

Galan Ashryver, prince of Wendlyn, shows up with his armada, as well as all the Silent Assassins from across the desert. Aelin called in all her life debts to build an army that can take on Erawan. Manon and Dorian and the Thirteen plan to head to find other witches that can help in the north, and Aedion plans to travel back with Lysandra to Terrasen. Lysandra has shifted into Aelin so that no one knows Aelin's really been taken. Rowan promises to save Aelin, and Gavriel and Lorcan go with to help.

And that's the end!!!!

What I liked: Again, this book had all the great qualities of a Sarah J. Maas book: secrets, twists, turns. Aelin leads us on an adventure. She's such a brilliant, intelligent character, even when she's sassy and frustrating to the others. She's got a heart of gold, even if no one else really sees it. She does her best to protect her family. I also really like Manon and her character. She's like another Aelin. They are two sides of a coin, and now that they've allied together, they will be unstoppable.

What I didn't like: There were two sex scenes in the book that included details. I was really disappointed in this. As an adult, that's fine, but I like to share my books with my students, and I can not do that with this book. Such brilliance and my students will not get to read it.

I would recommend this book for at young adults, both male and female.

Queen of Shadows

by Sarah J. Maas

This is book 4 in the Throne of Glass series, and the ante has been upped.  It's bigger, better, and more exciting!  This books takes off right where the last one finished and drives it further.  It still follows Celaena Sardothien, except now she has embraced who she truly is. She is Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen and the Heir of Fire, and she is back to kill the King, save her friend, and reclaim her throne.

Queen of Shadows again follows different people throughout the book, but it mainly focuses on Aelin. Aelin is back in Rifthold after mastering her powers in Wendlyn. She left behind Rowan, though she misses him terribly. He would have stood out too much as Fae. Her goal and focus is multi-purposed. First, she needs to save her cousin, Aedion, from exucusion under the King. She needs to retrieve the 3rd Wyrdkey from Arobynn Hamel, her one time master and the one who inadvertently sent her to Endovier Salt Mines to be a slave for one year.  She does this while also destroying him and his assassin empire. She wants to save her friend, Crown Prince Dorian, who is enslaved by a Wyrdcollar. The Wyrdcollar allows a Valg Prince, a demon from another realm, to inhabit his body and take over. Because the collar doesn't come off, Aelin thinks the only way to save Dorian is to kill him and the demon prince within him. It will be a mercy for him, she's sure. Aelin also finds out how to bring magic back to the land, and she determined to flood the land with it so she can have her powers back. With her powers, she will be able to take on the King and send him back to the hell he came from, making him pay for all the sorrows and suffering he's caused.

Along side her is her cousin, Aedion, who she masterfully saves with help from Arobynn Hamel. Chaol is also helping, though reluctantly.  He is afraid of Aelin, afraid of what she will be and do, especially what she'll do with Dorian. He believes that Dorian should be saved, that he's still alive inside, but Aelin knows better. Chaol is angry with Aelin as well, and they spend a good deal of time arguing with each other.

Lysandra, a courtesan from The Assassin's Blade (the Prequel), returns. She is Arobynn's choice courtesan, but she hates him and plans with Aelin to destroy him. In The Assassin's Blade, Lysandra and Aelin were enemies, but in Queen of Shadows, they grow close, both helping and saving the other.

Rowan, though he's suppose to stay in Wendlyn, follows after Aelin. Neither realized how much they missed the other, and begin to discover that they need each other in more ways than one.

Manon, the Wing Leader of the Blackbeak witch clan, is another main character, and her story continues.  Manon and her Thirteen are stationed at Morath, the home of Duke Perrington. He has secret plans that he is conducting under the mountain, secret evil plans that involve dark magic. Manon is conflicted throughout the book, trying to follow orders and yet do what she feels is right. In one section of the book, Manon and Aelin meet and battle spectacularly, and Aelin saves Manon from death. Manon finally makes a stand in the end, following what's right for her and her Thirteen.

In the end, Aelin and her court save the day, releasing magic, killing the king, and saving the prince.  There is a HUGE secret revealed as the King dies, propelling the story forward and leaving it open for the next book where more action and adventure await. Aeiln and her court head home to Terrasen, excited to finally make it back. But more evil and danger is coming.

This book is amazing! It has everything a story needs: action, adventure, intrugue, secrets, betrayals, romance, surprises, healing, and redemption.  It's a great story for middle school and above boys and girls.

THE NEXT BOOK COMES OUT TOMORROW AND I CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!!!