Finished Reading - The Candlestone

Description (from publisher):

A mysterious book leads Billy into mortal combat with a powerful dragon slayer. Separated from his friends and finding his dragon traits useless against this enemy, he has to rely on new weapons, a sword and shield he cannot even see.

A scientist lures Bonnie to his laboratory with amazing news—her mother is still alive! And he should know; he’s her father. He has learned the secret of long life—dragon blood, and he wants Bonnie to help him with his experiments. But first he must send her to retrieve her mother from the candlestone, that strange, paralyzing gem that absorbs light and with it the strength of dragons and their offspring.

The candlestone is also a prison that imprisons people who have been transformed into light energy by Excalibur, King Arthur’s great sword. When Bonnie enters the stone, she learns that many disembodied souls have fallen prey to the gem’s powers, but no one has ever escaped. Her only hope is for Billy to overcome the dragon slayer and find a way into the candlestone, and, more importantly, a way out.

Billy and Bonnie face their greatest fears, and they learn to use their strengths, both innate and newly found, as they battle powerful enemies, ancient fiends from times long past, and the horrors of the blackest of prisons, captivity with the walls of unearthly darkness, the crystalline tomb of the candlestone.

Book StatsTitle: The Candlestone
series: Dragons in Our Midst
Author: Bryan Davis
publisher: Living Ink Books
ISBN: 9780899571713
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: September 2004
format: Trade Paperback
genre: Christian Fantasy
pages: 388
ages:13+ per publisher
Grade: C+




My StatsDate Finished: May 13

fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at ...
challenge or just because





Reviewed at...Book Dragon's Lairamazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari





Challenges150+
One Million Pages
Mt TBR
Read 52 books in 52 Weeks
Spring Reading Thing

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading - Raising Dragons

Description (from B&N):

A boy learns of his dragon past; a girl has known of hers for years. They combine their faith, courage, and love to overcome evil, a slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage, forever. The kids at school call Billy “Dragon Breath” for good reason. His breath is bad! It isn’t the normal, morning-mouth bad; it’s the hot-as-fire, “don’t-you-dare-get-near-me” bad. Trouble erupts when his hot breath sets off the fire sprinklers in the boys’ restroom at school, and his parents learn that they’ve kept their secret for too long. Billy finally discovers the secret. His father was once a dragon! Now that’s a piece of news a guy doesn’t deal with every day! Billy feels betrayed, alien, lost. When the dragon slayer traps him on a cold mountaintop in West Virginia, Billy learns to battle with weapons of steel and spirit while relying on a power he doesn’t understand, a power that helps him learn to trust again. Bonnie, an orphan, tries to find a home, someone to love her, even though she feels like a freak because of a body feature that she calls a deformity. But this unusual feature becomes a life-saving attribute as she discovers that her love for others and her faith in a creator hold the answers she’s looking for.

Book StatsTitle: Raising Dragons
series: Dragons in Our Midst
Author: Bryan Davis
publisher: Living Ink Books ... AMG Publishers
ISBN: 978-0899571706
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: February 2000
format: Trade paperback
genre: Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction
pages: 371
ages: 12?
Grade: B+







My StatsDate Finished:  May 8
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at ...
challenge or just because




Reviewed at...Book Dragon's Lair ~ planned
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari




Challenges150+
One Million Pages
ARC
Spring Reading Thing
Summer Book Challenge

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- The Lost Gate

Description (from back cover):

A family of poor mages in exile in our world, existing in uneasy truce with other Families of Westil, the North clan lives in a rambling family complex, isolated in the hills of western Virginia.

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English — but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

Book Stats
Title: The Lost Gate
series: Mither Mages
Author: Orson Scott Card
publisher: Tor
ISBN: 9780765365385
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: November 2011
format: Mass Market Paperback
genre: fantasy
pages: 446
ages: 14, maybe even 12
Grade: B

My Stats
Date Finished: April 21
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Cardathon/Whittle
Spring Reading Thing
Mt. TBR
Dewey's RaT

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- The Ice Dragon

Description:

The ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.

Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year she touched it, and in her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara's home. And only a winter child--and the ice dragon who loved her--could save her world from utter destruction.

Book Stats
Title: The Ice Dragon
series:
Author: George R. R. Martin
publisher: A Starscape Book/Tor
ISBN: 978-0-7653-5539-3
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: October 2007
format: 5x7ish paperback
genre: Middle Grade Fiction - Fantasy
pages: 107
ages: 10+
Grade:

My Stats
Date Finished: April 21
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at ... Gift!
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
PB&J
Spring Reading Thing
Dewey's Read-a-Thon
Spring Reading Challenge

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- Dragondrums

Description:

In the world of Pern, Harpers with great musical ability are held in extreme regard. This is why the young, mischievous Piemur carries himself with so much pride, for he sings like an angel. But when his voice begins to change, Piemur loses all confidence and questions his role within Harper Hall.

Incapable of singing, Piemur is sent on various errands by Masterharper Robinton, including the task of learning the complicated beats of the messenger drums, Piemur has no clue of the grand adventures that await him, and he'll need to find the courage within himself to survive.

Book Stats
Title: Dragondrums
series: Harper Hall trilogy
Author: Anne McCaffrey
publisher: Spectra/Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-25855-9
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: November 1987 (14th printing)
format: Mass Market Paperback
genre: Fantasy
pages: 193
ages: 12+
Grade: B+

My Stats
Date Finished: April 21
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Pern
Spring Reading Thing
PB&J

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- Dragonsinger

Description (from amazon):

Pursuing her dream to be a Harper of Pern, Menolly studies under the Masterharper learning that more is required than a facility with music and a clever way with words.

Book Stats
Title: Dragonsinger
series: Harper Hall trilogy
Author: Anne McCaffrey
publisher: Spectra/Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-25854-0
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: January 1997
format: Mass Market Paperback
genre: fantasy
pages: 256
ages: 12+
Grade: A+

My Stats
Date Finished: April 17
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair ~ planned
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Pern
Read & Review
Spring Reading Thing

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- The Hunger Games

Description (from author):

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.

Book Stats
Title: The Hunger Games
series: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0439023528
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: July 2010
format: paperback
genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
pages: 374
ages: 12+
Grade: A

My Stats
Date Finished: April 13
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge & just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Dystopia/Read Dystopia
12 in 12
Mt TBR (purchased Aug 2010!)
PB&J
Banned or Challenged/ALA's 2010 Top Ten
Around the Stacks
The Eclectic Reader
101 Fantasy Books
Spring Reading Thing
Pick Your Thon

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading- Dragonsong

Description (from inside flap):

Anne McCaffrey's best-selling Harper Hall Trilogy is a wonder-filled classic of the imagination. Dragonsong, the first volume in the series, is the enchanting tale of how Menolly of Half Circle Hold became Pern's first female Harper, and rediscovered the legendary fire lizards who helped to save her world.

This description leaves much to be desired! Menolly, of Half Circle Sea Hold, is a girl who loves music. As long as the Harper is alive, her father (and leader) has no problem with her twiddles. What to do with a sensitive girl now that the Harper has died? Girls can't be Harpers!

Book Stats
Title: Dragonsong
series: Pern
Author: Anne McCaffrey
publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 978-0553258523
ASIN:
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: April 1, 1977
format: Mass Market Paperback
genre: fantasy
pages: 176
ages: 10+
Grade: A+

My Stats
Date Finished: Apr 12
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Pern
Girl Power
What an Animal
PB&J

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading - The Book of Deacon

Description (from amazon):

Myranda is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step of the way will take her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.

Book Stats
Title: The Book of Deacon
Series: The Book of Deacon
Author: Joseph Lallo
publisher: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B0036FTF4S
(Amazon Standard Identification Number)
date published: February 2010
format: ebook (check out Smashwords)
genre: epic fantasy
pages: 426


My Stats
Date Finished: February 10
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
ebook
Mt TBR
Free Reads
Why Buy the Cow
12 in 12
Off the Shelf
Around the Stacks
The Eclectric Reader
What's in a name

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading - Time Slice

Description:

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Adventures. Science Fiction with Heart.

Newly retired workaholic Roy Washburn is not ready for a life of leisure. On a trip to the mall with his wife, he finds a small metal cylinder with odd markings. One nudge of the cylinder's triangle-shaped pointer and Roy finds himself embarking on an exciting new adventure in the Time Stream.

There he meets The Traveler, a tall, gangly being who shows Roy how to use the cylinder to visit other civilizations that co-exist on "his" Earth, each occupying a different, thin Time Slice. The Traveler solicits Roy's help in recovering an object invented by his murdered father and beyond his own reach. Roy is his last hope.

At first it seems that the Traveler's wish might be easily granted. But after Roy's wife Emily becomes ill and his daughter's long-held resentments rise to the surface, he can no longer "travel" at a moment's notice. He also discovers the very real physical and mental risks involved in roaming the Time Stream.

Despite the dangers, Roy is determined to help the Traveler. But he can't do it alone. Fortunately he has a loving wife and a core group of loyal friends. But first he must convince them--and his daughter--that he isn't crazy ...

Book Stats
Title: Time Slice
Author: Kerry Downing
publisher: Camel Press
ISBN: 9781603818520
date published: June 2011
format: Trade paperback
genre: Contemporary Fantasy (alternate reality)
pages: 256
age: 14+? 16+? anyone interested in the science behind the traveling may enjoy this

Grade: B

My Stats
Date Finished: Feb 6
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
150+
One Million Pages
Mixing it Up
Read & Review

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2012

Finished Reading - Xone of Contention

The Description comes from the publisher's store and is rather long winded.

Description (from macmillan):

A cataclysmic cloud hangs over the enchanted land of land of Xanth. Three courageous couples must venture into the O-Xone, a cybernetic interface between Xanth and our own world, to rescue the enchanted realm from destruction.

A xany new fantasy xaga from the Master of Merriment, Xone of Contention is chock-filled with danger, excitement and xillions of laughs!

After a year filled with harrowing adventures, all Breanna of the Black Wave and her newfound love Justin Tree want is a little time to get to know each other better, and explore the wonders of the enchanted land of Xanth. But their incipient idyll is soon shattered by a stunning discovery. A climatic catastrophe is causing a massive meltdown that threatens to inundate the ancient forests of Xanth.

The only way to avert this dire disaster is to undertake a voyage into the distant mists of the past, to find the moment when this ghastly greenhouse effect began. And the only people who can safely make that journey are those unaffected by Xanth's magic - normal, ordinary humans from our own world.

So Breanna and Justin turn for help to the Demon X(A/N)th (a.k.a. Nimby) and his lovely consort Chlorine. Together, they devise a daring plan. Making use of the O-Xone, a magical computer network that links the worlds of Xanth and Earth, Nimby and Chlorine make contact with Pia and Edsel, a young couple from Earth who are working on a Xanth game, and arrange to exchange bodies with them.

But an unexpected surprise awaits them on their arrival. The Demon Earth has challenged the Demon Xanth to a deadly duel for the highest possible stakes - dominion over both worlds. While Pia and Edsel range through the farthest reaches of time and space to save Xanth from destruction, Nimby must learn to live by the strange rules of our world, and defeat his ancient enemy without the benefit of his own awesome powers.

Brimming with magic, merriment, laughter and love, Xone of Contention is a rousing new fantasy saga in the grand Xanth tradition.

Book Stats
Title: Xone of Contention
Author: Piers Anthony
publisher: Tor Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-8125-5523-3
date published:
format: hardcover
genre: fantasy
pages: 384
ages: 12+


My Stats
Date Finished: October 27, 2011
fiction or non-fiction
new or re-read
own or borrowed or review
from the shelf or new purchase
print or electronic
if new...purchased at
challenge or just because


Reviewed at...
Book Dragon's Lair
amazon
Powell's
Fictionwise/eReader
Book Depository
Barnes & Noble
publisher
GoodReads
LibraryThing
Shelfari

Challenges
A to Z (titles)

copyright Gina Francis 2009-2011