Book Challenge Update: Shade's Children

I finished another book for my book challenge.  I know I'm a machine.  Its for the What's in a Name Challenge.  I finished the book for my live stage goal, reading Shade's Children by Garth Nix. 

that is not how I pictured the creatures

I was pretty certain I was going to like this book as I really like Garth Nix's writing.  I've not read the Keys to the Kingdom series, but the Abhorsen series is fantastic (highly recommend it).  Garth Nix is one of a set of Australian authors I really like. You should give it a try.

isle of cool stuff

Back to Shade's Children.  Its is a modern sci-fi story based on the premise that one day (15 years before) all the grown ups get winked away.  The children are then rounded up and on their 13th birthdays they get taken away to be turned into inhumane killing machines. 

Note - no kangaroos are found in the book

The story is very well done and really well told (as expected) making it a really fun book to read.  The characters are well drawn and interesting.  Learning of the children's (teens) adventures is very fun. Its kind of a dark tale, but not too dark (Still appropriate for teens).  My only issue with the story is that the end came to soon and therefore lack a bit of the punch.  I feel there was a lot of lead up a mid-length fight and then the conclusion.  It is a stand alone book and quite short, so the story really flies by.  I feel if it was two books instead of the one it would be great rather than really really good.  It also was a bit lacking in grit from an adult perspective though its suppose to be teen fiction, so I get it. 

Garth

This a great book for teens.  And a very enjoyable for adults.  It would help to like sci-fi, but you don't need to love jargon filled tome like sci-fi. 

Book Challenge Update!

I've picked out some books for the What's in a Name challenge.  I'll review them once I actually read them, but I really wanted to share some of my picks.

For the Evil category I'm going to read the book Soulless by Gail Carriger.

I'm very excited about it.  It mixes some of my favorite fairy creatures with Victorian romance.  I don't normally read steampunk, but it seems like it will have the sensibilities of an Austen novel (a bit darker of course . . . I'm afraid to hope for Jane Eyre sensibilities as its my favorite book of all time).  It also seems like it will indulge in the humor inherent in a Victorian romance and jazz it up to modern standards.  If this is done even a fraction as well as it is in Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot I should be very happy with this book.

For the life stage category I've picked out Shade's Children by Garth Nix.

Shade's Children is about a brutal future where 14 year olds are killed to make genetically engineered monsters.  Gold-Eye escapes to fight his fate.  This is pretty straight up sci-fi for me.  I usually stick to fantasy or military sci-fi (no I don't know why).  But, I've been looking for something different and I do like teen fiction.  I also love Garth Nix from his Abhorsen series.  Its a great series I would highly recommend it.

I also have the first book in my Series Challenge, I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett.

This will catch me up on the Tiffany Aching series within the Discworld series.  I'm very excited.  I enjoy the adult discworld books, but the teen series about Tiffany Aching is really fantastic.  It starts with Wee Free Men and I would really recommend giving it a try if you like fantasy and you like laughing. 

Sometime, in the hopefully kind of near future, you will get reviews about these books as I make my way through my challenges.