Tag: Fantasy

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society #1 by Trenton Lee Stewart

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
# Pages: 485
Published: 2007
Rating: 4 stars

This is a lively tale of four talented and intelligent children who are recruited to embark on a dangerous mission to save the world. Each child’s individual gifts are needed to succeed, but can they stick together long enough to complete their mission?

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s nice to pick up a YA book for a fun, quick read. When the plot and characters are as cleverly-written as they are in this book, it doesn’t even feel like you’re reading something meant for a much younger audience. I found myself reading well into the night, desperate to find out what the children would do next. I will definitely read the rest of the series, and I encourage anyone else looking for a delightful adventure series to do the same.

Favorite Quote

Is this what family is like? The feeling that everyone’s connected, that with one piece missing the whole thing’s broken?

The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings

Title: The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archives
Author: Brandon Sanderson
# Pages: 1007
Published: 2010
Rating: 5 stars

In  The Way of Kings, Sanderson introduces the reader to Roshar, a land only recently brought under the rule of a single king. An assassin who can walk on walls and ceilings kills the king who brought about the kingdom’s unification, so the king’s son and the king’s brother lead the kingdom in war against those responsible for the king’s death.

The war takes place on the chasms, a desert-type terrain that has large ravines that require bridges to cross. The armies aren’t able to make their way across the desert, because enormous storms tear through the land every few days, so they stay in camps and race to fight against the other side as often as possible. 

In Roshar, the men do not learn to read, and their highest form of honor comes from being warriors.  Women are their scribes, as well as the scientists and engineers that create new technology. A person’s worth is measured by the lightness or darkness of his or her eyes. Plants pull away when they’re approached by humans. Carriages are pulled by things that sound a bit like crabs. 

This book tells the stories of the king’s brother, Brightlord Dalinar, and his son, Adolin; the king’s daughter, Jasnah; a young warrior, Kaladin; and a young women trying to save her family, Shallan. 

Favorite Quotes:

“Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

“To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”