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Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Darrow rose to be the "belle of the ball" in the second book, only to have that perfect life ripped away from him at the last moment. Now he's got a second chance. But it comes at the cost of part of his character. He has to learn how to be a builder, not just a destroyer. Category Sci-Fi Why I chose this book Next in the series My personal opinion (the review) The story line is outstanding. The characters are "actual size". They have lives, are true to themselves, and are complex people. The science fiction is solid. The custom vocabulary is fantastic. The vision of the future is completely credible. This is a great book, capping off a great series. However, I cannot recommend this book- too much bad language. Which is crazy, because the first 2 books were fine on that front. Also, it truly felt like someone else wrote this story, because the language changed so much. Grammar mistakes and foul language were both inconsi

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) The Subtle Knife ended with several cliffhangers, so this one picks right up from there. Dr Malone will somehow be a tempter. Lord Asriel will wage his war against the Authority somehow. Mrs Coulture will be a double or triple agent, constantly betraying everyone in her path. Lyra and Will will continue on their fantastic adventure, with help from the armored bears, Lee Scoresby, the witches, the Galivespians, and even people that are supposed to be dead. Category YA-Fiction, Fantasy Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) This book was excellent. From the second book, I was worried that the tale would take a blasphemous turn, but there's so much fantasy in the story that it can't possibly be confused with a critique against reality. Lyra and Will absolutely turn life on its head, changing the universe- sometimes without even realizing it. Warnings Language: None Violence: Fairly frequent (fighting) &qu

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Grace is obsessed with wolves. And it turns out that the local pack is made up of werewolves, but she doesn't know that. One of them saved her from being killed by the pack, and that one has been "her" wolf ever since. She has a connection to it. Category Fiction Why I chose this book Recommended by library site My personal opinion (the review) If you liked Twilight, you'll like this one. It's shallow- not much to the story, not much depth to the characters. But it was a decent, quick read. I don't have plans to buy it, though; I'm glad I just borrowed it from the library. Warnings Language: None Violence: yes, but not graphic "Adult" situations: Constant teen puppy love (no pun intended), including fooling around. None of the situations was in great detail, but they were intense. Death: Sorta. Can't explain (spoilers) Movie rating equivalent PG-16 Protagonist description Grace is a pretty

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Lyra continues her adventure in a new world, with guidance from her alethiometer. Meanwhile, a boy named Will learns at a very young age how to be responsible for the well-being of his mother. He leaves her in search of his father, and ends up with Lyra's help in that adventure. Category YA-Fiction, Fantasy Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) The story line is very intriguing. Lots of action, lots of magic. I'm starting to see what all of the controversy is about, though. I'll hold onto my opinion on that until I've finished the series. I'm definitely still a fan of the story, though. Warnings Language: None Violence: Fairly frequent (fighting) "Adult" situations: None Death: Yes, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Lyra is a child, but she's quite bright and resourceful. Will is a tween that has had to grow up very quickly