Rynn Cameron

Truth-Teller's Tale and Dream-Maker's Magic are Sharon Shinn's second and third books in the trilogy that began with Safe-Keeper's Secret. Truth is about twins (very well written mirror twins), one ends up being a Safe-Keeper and the storyteller becomes a Truth-Teller. Wonderful but slightly predictable to this veteran reader of fairy tales (I'm not saying this is a bad thing). As one reviewer quoted on the book said, readers who liked Robin McKinley's Beauty would like these. And I'd add readers who liked Patricia Wrede's Dragon fantasies, too. Cozy fantasies and comforting fairy tales with happy endings.

Dream-Maker's Magic wraps up the trilogy, with the tale of a broken boy and the girl-raised-as-a-boy narrator who cares about him. It's good but almost too heavy with Significance To Modern Society.

The world is quiet and cozy and all the world-building is behind the scenes as it generally is in fantasies. I liked these books, but it's the first one that I'll reread most often.

Recommended.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Truth-Tellers-Tale-Sharon-Shinn/9780142407844-item.html?ikwid=sharon+shinn&ikwsec=Home

and

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Dream-Makers-Magic-Sharon-Shinn/9780670060702-item.html?ikwid=sharon+shinn+dream&ikwsec=Home

The first three books in the Iron series are from the girl's point of view. This one is from Prince Ash's point of view as he strives to keep to his promise to find a way to be with her despite his being a Winter Fey and her living in Iron. (Iron kills fey.) It starts a little slow, but his Journey of the Hero keeps getting richer and more difficult as the book continues, giving a solid and satisfying conclusion.

Definitely a good series, and a definitely great capper to it -- I liked it the best of the four, although I liked the first three as well.



http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Iron-Knight-Julie-Kagawa/9780373210367-item.html?ikwid=iron+knight&ikwsec=Home

After reading "Wrapped" I went and got "Shift" by the same writer, Jennifer Bradbury. "Shift" is the story of two boys and their bike ride from West Virginia to the Pacific Ocean the summer after high school. Except it's not. It's about friendships and people and public faces and private faces and who can patch their tire's tube the fastest. It's an up close and intimate view of America that only bike riders and walkers generally see.

The writing is brilliant. It has layers which enhance rather than obscure. Some layers may go completely over the head of an average young adult reader, but this doesn't harm the story at all: it's still a great story.

It's not told in chronological order, but looks back at the summer while staying in the present as Chris starts at Georgia Tech as a freshman, the summer now over. The transitions are well written and there's never a question of when or where you are, however, so it's not an issue as it is in some books.

Jennifer Bradbury has written a wonderful book about growing up, about fear and challenge and about being human. Definitely highly recommended. I think this book will stick with me for a long time.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Shift-Jennifer-Bradbury/9781416947325-item.html?ikwid=shift+bradbury&ikwsec=Home