A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Sorry, my computer is not cooperating and allowing me to post a picture of the book.

My huband bought this book and immediately started reading it.  It was interesting watching his reaction to the stories and events that unfolded as he read.  It did not suprise me since I read Half the Sky.  Actually, this book is not near as graphic as Half the Sky.  If put my husband in poor spirits and he felt guilty for the life we have and we even discussed how it could be fair for us to be here with little to worry about instead of living in fear and fighting like many do.

Ismael Beah, the author, tells his story of how he become a boy soldier at the age of 13.  It starts with him getting separated from his family and never seeing them again.  He wanders around for a year with a group of boys part of the time and alone for a while before they are captured and forced to start fighting with the Leonean army.  Many of his friends are killed and we follow Ismael as he spends over 2 years fighting and killing people in villages for supplies.  He gets addicted to drugs and numb to killing.

Later he, along with the other child soldiers are taken to the city for rehabilitation and reintegration.  He ends up living with his uncle and his uncle's family.  He starts to go to school again and even makes a trip to New York to discuss his experience with others from other countries facing similar issues.  Unfortunately the fighting makes it to the city Ismael lives in and Ismael finally decides to flee to Guinea in order to escape the fighting since he was sure he would eventually be forced to fight again or killed for not fighting.  The book ends with him making it to the Leonean Embassy and unfortunately we do not hear how he made it to the US or even his experience trying to adjust to his new life.

All in all a good book.  It is not very graphic, nor is the language bad.  It is a good book to read.

Legend by Marie Lu

I went on a young adult reading slurge recently and am trying to find time to catch up on all my reviews.  I read Legend, Divergent, Uglies, and Matched all at the same time so I started to mix up which story went with each book.  I still need to finish Matched so I will write that review at a later time once the library has them back in.

So Legend by Marie Lu.  Honestly, I have mixed feelings towards this trilogy.  The first book started slow and did not get interesting until the very end.  Yes, it takes a bit to set up the story and characters, but nothing happened.  We follow Day and June as they meet each other and we see how their actions affect one another.  As I got into the second book it got better and I was actually excited with the last book since I believed the author was actually going to kill one of her main characters.  Hardly anyone does that.  They just can't let go.  Well, unfortunately Marie Lu decided she couldn't kill her hero so she just gave him amnesia, but he still gets back together with June 10 years later.  Sorry to throw that info at you, it just made me sad.  It would have been fine to kill Day instead of putting him in a coma for 3 months.

So to the actual storyline so you know what this book is about.  Yet another dystopian book where the world was affected by global warming and started flooding.  In response, everyone went crazy and the United States divided into The Colonies and The Republic.  Alaska is also another section that is technologically advanced.  The Republic built a huge wall around them and it is in this government that Day and June are from.  They are ignorant to how the rest of the world is and are led to believe that The Republic is superior and a main super power in the world.  In reality it is incredibly small, outdated, and not involved with other governments.  They implemented Trials where you go when you come of age and take tests to see what job/school you will be sent to.  If you fail you supposedly go to a work camp when in actuality you are killed.  Otherwise you are whisked away to a military school or sent to work some menial job.  Day was considered a trouble maker so he was intentionally sent with the fail group, but they did not actually kill him and he escaped.  June scored a perfect score and was sent to the military school to become a promising military help.

Day sticks around to make sure his family has enough money to eat and to make sure the 'plague' does not affect any of them.  Of course his youngest brother is infected.  All our drama starts with Day breaking into a hospital to get a cure for his brother since only the rich get vaccines for the plague and in the process he 'kills' June's brother.  June is then sent to track down Day and turn him in since Day causes trouble by blowing up planes and hindering the government effort.  Well, June finds Day, but falls in love with him and finds out that Day did not actually kill her brother but he government did and they also killed her parents.  Day's brother was intentionally infected with the plague and taken for experimentation so Day and June team together to rescue him and save the republic.  Not a bad book and a lot of fun twists.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This is another one of those dystopian young adult books like Divergent or The Maze Runner.  I have enjoyed the series so far and have just started the second book.  The first book is a little slow moving and honestly there is not a lot of action until the very end and even them not too much drama or anything going on.  Still, I have enjoyed the idea of the book.

Every goes through stages in their life.  They start as Littlies, then go to school and are labeled Uglies waiting until they turn 16 and can finally become a New Pretty.   They later become Middle Pretty, and finally Old Pretty and then die.  Each group is separated from one another and do not associate with the other groups.  Uglies go to school and learn while New Pretties pretty much just party and have fun.  Everyone has a surgery that changes each person into the ideal 'pretty.'  They see pictures of what we deem as pretty and popular for us and they believe they are too skinny and have uneven faces.

We start the first book with Tally Youngblood who is just waiting for her birthday.  Her friends have already turned Pretty and she is the only one left.  She meets up with Shay, another girl with her birthday also waiting to turn 16.  Shay, however, leaves a week before their birthday to go to the Smokies, a place where no one is turned pretty and is able to be themselves.  It is not a widely known place and secret from everyone, but Sally leaves directions for Tally hoping she will come.  Unfortunately for Tally, who has no desire to stay ugly, the special agents get involved and force her to travel to the Smokies and turn in the location.  Of course, by the time she gets there and falls for a boy, she no longer wants to turn them in, however she accidentally triggers the locator and the people are caught and sent back to their respective towns to become pretty.  Tally escapes with her boyfriend and frees everyone from the Special Agents.  Shay by this time has turned pretty, but they take her with them anyway.

The first book ends with Tally leaving with SHay to become pretty so she can test out a pill that is suppose to return your true thoughts and feelings.  Sally does not want to take it since the Pretty transformation makes you pretty and it makes you care free and happy.  You do not care about anyone or anything and just go along with what people tell you to do.  So our second book which I have just started starts with Tally in New Pretty Town as a Pretty.  She vaguely remembers her previous life, but it is fuzzy and she does not really care about it anymore.  By the third book, Shay has taken Tally and mad eher into a Special.  Shay is the leader and they are looking for the New Smoke where everyone is heading too.  By this time the cure is being distributed to a lot of people.

I like how the series ends with Tally not really being cured or changed from being a Special.  She is still herself and able to push past the mental changes that were imposed on her.  She does not fully support the New Smoke rebels and what they have done.  True, everyone is able to think for themselves and make their own decisions, however, this comes with consequences.  The people are now forming clicks and able to get any modification done to their body.  They have to expand the city which means cutting down trees and destroying nature.  People start to get angry and fight.  These are all consequences that Tally and David decide to watch and stay out of.  They warn their friends that if things get out of hand they will become their enemy and put them back in place.  So which type of government is really better?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Oohhhh, this is a good book and I can't wait to get the rest of the series.  If you liked The Hunger Games and other books like that you will definately like this series.  This is another series about the government trying to keep control of the people in order to 'maintain peace.'  Unfortunately, as in most books, the leaders are corrupt and have an ulterior motive for the people.

Beatrice Prior is our main heroine who part of the Abnegation faction, a peaceful, selfless group who wears gray and does nothing to attract attention or individualness since their main focus is to put others needs about their own.  There are 4 other factions that students choose to join when they are 16.  Whichever faction they choose is their new home and they give up their family if they choose a different faction.  There is Amity, calm farmers; Erudite, seakers of knowledge; Candor, honesty; and Dauntless, brave.  Beatrice unfortunately finds out after her aptitude tests that she does not belong to any of them but is divergent.  This is not good and the tester erases her scores in order to keep her alive.  Beatrice chooses Dauntless since she does not feel she belongs in Abnegation.

Beatrice is put through a tough initiation and must learn to hide her Divergent abilities.  Luckily for her, these abilities save her in the end when leaders take control and start a war.  We are left at the end of book one with Beatrice stopping the fight, but having to flee for her life to get away from the corrupt leaders.  Definately a must read.

Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud

If you are interested in a slightly creepy, not scared out of your witts book this is great.  I thouroughly enjoy reading Jonathan Stroud's books and hope he continues with this as a series.  His writing is  different than most young adult writers and it makes his books entertaining and refreshing.  He doesn't follow the vampire, young love topics that most tend to do.  Instead he focuses on ghosts and demons for his books.  Awesome!

So this book follows a young girl, Lucey, who is able to Listen and Feel ghosts around her.  She comes from a large family of sisters that have special abilities as well, but nothing near to Lucey's talent.  After being trained and working for a local company a few years she encounters a strong ghost that kills her team.  She leaves home and makes it to the big city in search for a job.  She finds Lockwood & Co., a small company run by two young men, Lockwood and George.  The three of them team up and work together to exterminate problem ghosts.

You see, there is a Problem in Great Britain where an outbreak of ghosts has occurred.  The people have curfews and must be indoors before dark and have their houses protected by ghost lights, iron, and salt.  If you are touched by a ghost you turn blue, swell up, and die.  Only young people have the gift of seeing and hearing ghosts which is why all teams are made up of young kids overseen by adults.  Lockwood & Co. is the exeption.  After burning down a clients house and being sued, they must find a way to make the money in order to keep their business and find clients.  Of course there is a murder mystery behind the ghost from the house that burnt down and the team finds themselves in one of the most dangerous ghost houses ever in order to make enough money to pay their debts.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I am still trying to figure out what to think about this book.  I finished it a couple days ago and have waited to write a review so I could possibly organize my thoughts about it and decide how I really feel about it.  Well, I still have no clue what to think.

Charlie (on the left in the above picture) is writing letters to someone after the suicide of his friend Mike.  He is trying to cope with this death and get used to high school.  He is incredibly sensitive and it drove me crazy how emotional he was and how he always cried over everything and only thought about doing what others wanted.  We later find out why he is this way and it makes sense so when reading this try to push through the sensitive crying parts.  Charlie becomes friends with a step brother/sister and is deals with high school things such as sex, drugs, drinking, bullies, etc...  It had some hard topics such as rape and abortion, but otherwise you get a feel of maybe another side of high school life that many teens go through.

I can't tell you that I liked the book, nor can I say I did not like it.  It followed a story, but also went off on side notes much like an emotionally sensitive teen boy would do if he wrote letters to someone unable to really get his feelings and thoughts sorted.  I must say that even with the realization of why Charlie acts as he does, I was impressed how Charlie was able to forgive and still love regardless of the tragedy that happened.

It is a quick, easy read and I would love to hear how others feel about this and their thoughts.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is a very easy read.  I would recommend this book for younger kids, not necessarily adults or even young adults since it is written very simple.  I will admit the simple writing annoyed me a bit, but I was able to look past it and enjoy the story itself.

The story is not terribly exciting and there is not much action.  You follow a young boy, Nobody Owens, Bod, whose family is killed when he is two.  He escapes by walking out of the house and ending up in a graveyard.  The graveyard, dead people, accept him and allow him to live in the graveyard to be raised by a dead couple who was never able to have kids when they were alive.  There is one special person in the graveyard who is neither alive, nor dead so he is able to get food and clothes for Bod.

The author takes us through pivotal moments in Bod's life until he is 14.  When he turns 14 Bod must finally confront who killed his family.  We follow Bod as he learns about all the different types of dead people and even learns skills of the dead.  He can fade and even haunt people.  It is an enjoyable book and even had one moment that slightly creeped me out.  It is a fun book for those who want a Halloween book but don't like the terribly scary stories.

Rojuun by John H. Carroll

I downloaded this book for free some time ago and forgot about it.  Well, I was talked into upgrading my incredibly low-tech, old cell phone to the iPhone 4 since it was free with our service at  this time.  I had the Kindle app on it and started flipping through it to try out my new phone and features it has and happened to notice this book.  I wasn't really in the mood to read since we have been so busy getting ready for school and building a crazy Beauty and the Beast set for the high school muscial my husband is helping with.  Well, I am glad I started reading this story.  It turned out to be very good and I really want to continue reading the series.  Unfortunately I have to pay for the other two books so I am hesitant to do it since I don't like buying Kindle books.  If I am going to buy a book I want the actual physical book to go in our collection so I don't forget what books I have.  I also want our children to read these books in the future and don't think they will read them if they are on my phone or Kindle reader.

So to the actual review.  It is a fiction book with the normal anti-social hero that saves the day and the thrown into battle after living a simple, niave life herione.  There's magic, dragons, crazy creatures.  Much like many books, however, I found this book refreshing since it does not follow most of the adventure stories I have read.  Tathan left home when he was 15 in search of adventure and has returned home fleeing a dark shadow after acquiring a sword.  His home is attacked a few days later and his family is all killed except his cousin Liselle who he later finds out knows magic and talks to flowers.  The two of them travel and meet up with Sir Danth, a knight who has been alive for over a millenium.  They also meet a purple human-like being named Vevin.  Together the four of them travel to spy on the Rojuun, a four armed human-like race that believes the human race was formed to be their servants so they can devote their time to art and music.  They meet a darker enemy in the depths of the earth and learn to respect the Rojuun.

We are left at the end of the first book with our foursome leaving the Rojuun dwelling after helping to save their race from an enemy.  I am curious to see how their findings are recieved by the people who sent them to spy on the Rojuun since these people hate them.  I would definately refer this book to others who like fantasy books.

*** I have now finished the series and really enjoyed it.  There are other books that go along with the series and follow other characters and some new ones that give you a taste of what other cities are like.  I have read bits and pieces of these but have yet to actually finish any of them so look for those in later posts.  This series ends well and does not necesarily have the happily ever after for everyone that you often find.  There are a lot of unanswered questions and things that need to be resolved, but that is part of the fun.  It lets you use your imagination to think of ways each person's life goes on.  It also leaves a lot of future stories open for the author.  We find out that Viven is a dragon and that our Knight is fighting some ghosts of his own.  Our rogue falls in love with a princess, but she still has to marry a prince to keep peace between their countries.  Continue reading the series and enjoy it!

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

So did you like Percy Jackson?  I did.  Even better, this series is only 3 books.  What happened to just having a good three books in a series.  For some reason authors seem to need to have at least seven and then they keep adding onto their series with other similar series.  Riordan left this series open for another series to take off on it and I won't be surprised to see another set coming in the future.

The Kane Chronicles reminded me of the Percy Jackson series mixed with the 39 Clues series.  Percy Jackson teaches you a lot about Greek and Roman mythology while The Kane Chronicles teaches you about Egyptian gods.  Gods and godlings/magicians must work with the gods in order to save the world.  You have two young children whose parents die and they are faced with finding out that their parents are not who they thought they were and now they must travel the world discovering their identities and finding out about a secret world that normal mortals have not clue about.  Yeah, a typical scenario of a lot of books.  It is funny how the more you read the more you realize most books follow a typical pattern with little deviations here and there.  There's an AP book Blake teaches out of that talks all about that.  Maybe some day I will glance at it.

So back to the series.  We have Carter and Sadie whose mother died years before and the two siblings are separated.  Sadie lives in London with her grandparents and Carter stays with his dad they travel the world since their father deals with Egyptian artifacts.  One night Carter and Sadie find themselves in a museum with their father who releases a bunch of gods and get possessed by the god Osiris and is captured in a coffin.  All of a sudden Carter and Sadie find out they belong to a powerful line of magicians that are perfect for housing gods, which Carter and Sadie find out they are doing.  Carter is possessed by Horus and Sadie is possessed by Isis.  In the series Carter and Sadie have to control their powers and work with their respective hosts channeling their power in order to save their father and then save the world from Apophis.  Unfortunately for Carter and Sadie, it is against magician law to use the power of the gods so they are hunted by magicians for breaking the law and then have very little support to fight Apophis in the end.  Somehow they must unite the magicians and gods to work together in order to save the world.

A fun series that I enjoyed reading and would recommend it to others.

Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.  This book was given to Blake last year by his student teacher.  It was not until recenty that the student teacher asked if Blake had read it yet, which he has not, and so I felt like I needed to give it a try.  Looking at the cover I just assummed it was a very feminist book about women being repressed in America.  I have mixed feelings about that but that is another subject.  Instead, this book focuses mostly on third world countries in Africa and covers a bit in China, India, and other Asian countries.

The book is sort of divided into different sections.  It starts out by talking about sex trafficking, then leads into rape as a weapon, honor killings, AIDS, and then medical shortages/discrimination towards mostly lower class women with no money.  Of course it ends with a few chapters of what you can do to make a change.  I will admit that is was not a book I particulary enjoyed reading since the subject is very touchy and you get a lot of personal stories of women going through trials in their life and hearing about their injustices.  I also did not like how it was written since it was written by journalists it has the newspaper feel to it.  A lot of extra descriptions that are not really needed but take up space to try to make you feel more sympathetic to the cause.

Aside from that, it was a decent book and teaches you a lot about what women go through in other parts of the world.  I knew most of the things they talked about, but I was surprised how little of it Blake had heard about such as genital cuttings.  It is not a book to be taken lightly and let younger children read unless you are prepared to discuss these sensitive subjects with them.  Otherwise I think it is good for everyone at some point to be educated about those around the world and if anything to appreciate the life they have and realize not everyone has a decent life or even the ability to leave their own home without worrying about getting raped or killed.  They are able to get an education while others who wish to have one never get the opportunity.

The Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull

Chasing the Prophecy is the final installment in The Beyonders trilogy.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this trilogy and would refer it to others who enjoyed books such as Fablehaven and The Iron Elves.  It is rare that I am mostly happy with how a book ends, but I think Brandon Mull did a great job.

Jason and Rachel were told in the previous book by the oracle that they each had to separate and do different jobs.  Jason finds himself fighting impossible enemies that have killed anyone that has ever gone up against them.  Of course, Jason and his crew defy all odds and complete their tasks.  What I enjoyed seeing Brandon Mull do is kill most of the people involved.  Very few make it alive which makes the story almost more realistic.

Rachel and Galoron take a different route and put together an army to fight Maldor at his castle.  THey find themselves at the castle going off of a belief that the oracle told them the truth.  Rachel has many doubts about the reliability of the oracle, but must find the ability to trust what is said.  She ends up taking Maldor's offer to become his apprentice in order to hopefully kill him.  She fails at first, but in the end is able to defeat him.  For once the fight against the badguy is ok.  Most books, including Eragon, had a pretty wimpy fight at the end.  Now there is not an incredible fight, but it ends pretty well.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

I have hit a literature kick again and have been enjoying reading again.  I have to admit 4 kids really limits my reading time right now and even when I do read I seem to have a couple kids on my lap watching a movie so I have a moment to myself.

Ethan Frome is another book that my husband is reading with his 10th grade students at the moment.  I enjoyed this book even though once again it ends sadly.  I can't understand why so many literature books are sad.  What is wrong with writing a good book that ends happily.  Anyway, this book is about Ethan Frome and how he ended up as a quiet cripple with a poor life.  His parents died and he was left with a failing farm/mill and he married a sickly lady named Zeena.  She is constantly seeing new doctor's and trying new remedies that never seem to help.

In order to help Zeena they take in her cousin Mattie.  Mattie's parents died and she was left with nothing and no other relations would take her in.  Mattie brings life back to Ethan's life and the two of them get along great.  A year after staying, Ethan realizes how strong his feelings are for Mattie and it seems that Zeena has also noticed the attraction as well.  Zeena finally takes a trip to see a new doctor and Ethan and Mattie are left alone for a night.  Nothing happens, but the two of them are happy and relaxed with one another.  When Zeena returns she informs Ethan that she has a hired a maid and Mattie must leave that next day.

Ethan is not happy and tries to prevent this from happening.  He even tries to find a way to leave his life and run off with Mattie but can not get the money to do so.  As he takes Mattie to the train station the two of them finally admit to eachother their love for one another.  To help with the pain they decide to sled down a dangerous hill right into a tree.  Unfortunately for them neither dies but are left disabled.  Zeena is forced to care for Mattie and Ethan the rest of their lives.  They live together in a run down house that is barely warm enough to live in and can barely get enough to ea and live off of.  It is a sad life that they live with broken futures and a wasted life.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

This was such a strange book.  If I remember correctly it is listed as a Common Core book.  Blake had it sitting on his desk so I grabbed it since I knew I was going to be at the hospital for a while waiting for my youngest son.  I had no idea what this book would be about so I was not prepared at all when it starts out with our main character, Gregor, waking up and realizing he had turned into a beatle.  Yep, a beatle.  At first I thought of Rhinoceros in a way this book follows the same reasoning for why people turned into rhinoceros's.

Gregor was worn out from working so hard for so many years to pay off his father's debt and to provide for his family.  His parents and sister did not work and lived a pretty lavish and comfortable lifestyle.  Of course this all changed once Gregor became a beatle and could no longer provide for them let alone even communicate with them.  Gregor stays in his room and his family is forced to find jobs in order to provide for themselves.  His 17 year old sister at first takes care of Gregor by giving him food everyday and even cleaning his room.  She eventually convinces her mom to help take out the furniture so that Gregor has room to crawl in the walls and ceiling.

It was frustrating to see how his family complained about having to work so hard and take jobs below their level and serving others.  His father is the worst.  He comes home every night and falls asleep in his chair.  He wife and daughter must spend the evening trying to convince him to move to the bed and change out of his work cloths.  He complains about being so tired.  His sister even stops taking care of Gregor and the maid is the only one that interacts a little with him, but even then she calls him an ugly dung beatle.  No one believes he understands them.

At the end of the book, Gregor's sister finally loses control and breaks down.  She cries and yells at her parents that they must get rid of the monster living in their house before it kills them all since they work too hard at their jobs and come home unable to relax.  Gregor hears all of this.  He had become depressed beforehand with the lack of help and sympathy from his family that he has refused to eat.  This night he finally gives up and dies.  I was disappointed with the reaction from his family.  They are all content and quite their jobs and move to a smaller apartment.  They become happy and start to talk about finding a husband for their daughter.  They no longer remember their son/brother and go on without him.

This was a short book and very easy to read and understand.  I can see why it is on the Common Core since there is so much discussion that arises with this book.  How should his family reacted?  Do you agree with their treatment of Gregor?  Do you agree with Gregor's views?  Was it fair for the family to expect Gregor to provide for them while they do nothing?  Was it good for Gregor to die and let his family live a 'normal' life?

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I must admit that it took me a moment to realize this was not a fantasy book, but actually based on historical events that took place in Chicago.  I was very impressed with this book and really enjoyed reading it.  I am interested in reading more of Erik Larson's books since they are educational, but not a bore to read.

Devil in the White City takes place in the early 1890's in Chicago and is about the Chicago World Columbian Exposition that was put together.  We follow two main men, Daniel Burnham and Dr. H. H. Holmes.  Burnham was the main architect and director that put together the impossible task of arranging and building the World Exposition in 21 months.  With his story we see the difficult decisions  he had to make in order to get the Exposition ready and all the trials during a time of economic depression and union strikes.

Dr. Henry Holmes (his main alias) is one of the first real psychopath killers that set up his hotel/practice next to the Exposition.  During this time many young women were leaving their small hometowns in search of a more lucritive life.  They were alone and naive, an excellent target for criminals and who Homes targeted as well.  There are only nine definate kills that have been proven, but Holmes admitted to at least 27 deaths and there are others who estimate that the number was closer to 200.  No one will ever know since he was a very charming man who set up his own reality.  Iin his building he built gas chambers and a kiln.  He would get his victims to become completely dependent on him and then would suffocate them in these gas chambers with either gas or acid chemicals.  He would them either burn the bodies in the kiln he had designed or send them off to become skeletons.  During this time the medical profession was in desperate need of skeletons and were known to be grave diggers and buy bodies from people.

The Exposition was a first for many things and set a trend for the future.  There was many novelties like light bulbs, wheaties, the Ferris Wheel, and other things that were introduced and become a main part of life.  The White City become a model of what an ideal city should look like and many places used this example to design their city.  Clean sewage systems and imported water from natural springs was introduced as well.  It also set a trend for labor unions and eight hour work days, paid overtime, health coverage, ect.  This was a time when insurance companies were beginning to discover and prosecute for insurance fraud and creditors came into contact with people who would not pay they credit back.  Holmes funded his projects using credit and insurance fraud.  He was able to get away with it for many years since many people did not know how to handle that kind of situation.  So many people disappeared during this time that it took many years for people to realize what Holmes had been doing. I think this book is definately worth reading.

The Iron Elves Book 2-3 by Chris Evans

I finally got around to reading the last two books of the Iron Elves series, The Light of Burning Shadows and Ashes of a Black Frost.  I really enjoyed this series and would recommend it to others.  It is not your typical elves, witches, and dwarves book which I really enjoyed.  For those that like military books and mythological aspects this would be a good series.  It gives a good feel of military life and comradeship.  I liked how there were different species all working together, but not one was necessarily stronger or better than the other.

In the second book, The Light of Burning Shadows, we follow the Iron Elves to the desert in search of the second start that is to fall and also to find a lost library for the prince.  Another powerful force has shown up that burns shadows and kills the person, but the body is taken to become part of a living dead army.  The unit gets split up into multiple groups and has to fight their own battles.  Visyna and her group come in contact with the original Iron Elves which are being led by Kritton.  However, these elves seek revenge and do not follow Konowa anymore.  Private Renwar struggles with his connection with the dead and makes a deal with the Dark Monarch while also restoring the Red Star to the desert area.

In the third book, Ashes of a Black Frost, each group travels and ends up at the abadoned Iron Elves fort where they fight against a huge army of Rackes, both alive and their shadows, led by the previous Emissary that was supposedly killed by Private Renwar who now is the dead's Emissary.  The fighting and struggles in this book were good, however, it made for a disappointing ending.  You have so much fighting and battles that when Konowa and his group finally make it to Her mountain to destroy the Dark Monarch, it is anti-climatic.  You expect a great battle and struggles, but are greatly disappointed when it ends so quickly with little conflict.  Other than the poor ending, the series was great.