Four book reviews! Oh my!

Hi everyone. I've managed to get through four books over the weekend and I was surprised at how fast I've read them. Well now's the time to get reviewing in order they were done.

The third book in the Spirit Animals series, Blood Ties is written by the Australian team of Garth Nix and Sean Williams. Meilin and her Spirit Animal Jhi have returned to Zhong to find her father and to try and weaken the Conqueror hold on the land. Her friends Conor, Abeke, and Rollan are also called to Zhong to find one of the Great Beasts and collect another talisman before it falls into the hands of the Conquerors. Well written, fast paced, and lots of action from beginning to the end, the book is a great resource for showing the bond between family and friends.
Caution
Children and people constantly in peril. Lots of fighting but not graphic.
Lessons
Our friends can be just as encouraging and loving as our biological families. Putting the needs of others before our own will lead to greater happiness. The greatest form of love is to give your life for another. Battling is okay when the cause is just (fighting to protect freedom, family, etc.).
Rating
Five out of Five stars

The fourth book in the Kingdom Keepers series, Power Play finds the Keepers enjoying their lives now that Maleficent and Chernabog have been captured by the Imagineers. However while Finn and Amanda are having a good time at the parks the ride goes horribly wrong. Worse fellow Kingdom Keeper Charlene is starting to act strange. They begin to suspect the Overtakers are back at work and are starting to expand their powers. While trying to learn of the plans of the Overtakers and trying to find out what's going on they will encounter many new enemies and will find new friends, both of which will please and amaze many fans. If you love anything Disney I would highly recommend you pick up these books.
Caution
People are in peril. Some scenes involving threats from Overtakers may be a little intense for some. When a mermaid changes to human form she's a little destitute in clothing (though she corrects this as soon as possible and it was done to stay true to the film she originally came from).
Lessons
Parents can be a great source of encouragement for their children. We can overcome our differences and work together to accomplish great things. Though the powers of evil are great they will eventually fall to the forces of good.
Rating
Four out of Five Stars

The twelfth book written by L. Frank Baum that takes place in the magical land of Oz, the story finds the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow living their lives peacefully in the Winkie country, or the western lands of Oz. When they are visited by a boy named Woot the Wanderer the Tin Woodman takes it upon himself to go and find the Munchkin girl he used to love before he became made of tin. Joined by the Scarecrow and Woot, the three journey across the Land of Oz and meet many characters, old and new, and have strange adventures before finding themselves in the Munchkin country where they encounter strange surprises that no one will see coming.
I've always enjoyed the Land of Oz, and though we meet several familiar characters in this story we're still treated to new friends as well. We also see new areas of Munchkin land that I doubt anyone who hasn't read the books existed. We also get to learn more of the past of one of Oz's most beloved characters.
Caution
People are changed into animals by a giantess. Later, a jaguar tries to eat the characters and one of them falls into a den of dragons. No one is harmed though.
Lessons
We should be grateful to those who show loyalty and goodness to us and others. The way we treat others will come back to us. We will be rewarded for our deeds, good and bad.
Rating
Five out of Five stars

Whispers In The Dark - Phantom's Lullaby is a beautiful story that brings heart again to the classic tale of The Phantom of the Opera. Chardonnay is a beautiful young woman with a promising career that gets torn away from her. However her belief in the music angel Erik and the love of her friend helps her to continue on. I liked how the characters in the story ended up meeting Erik and Christine as well as receiving help from them in their lives. I didn't like how detailed a lot of the antagonists' actions were given a lot of detail. However I know it was only to show his true colors and to show the difference between loving someone and lusting them. Still a good story for people who love The Phantom of the Opera or love stories about coming back from defeat.
Caution
The villain sleeps with and rapes a lot of women (I had to skip over those parts, though it was only included to show how evil he was). People use drugs, drink, and swear. A spirit scares people in many ways, though it's to help the characters. Story may be too mature for some readers. 
Lessons
Our ancestors care a great deal for our welfare and success, and are watching over us. If you let hate and anger rule your heart you will never find true happiness. Marriage and family life is ordained of God. A relationship were couples rely on physical intimacy instead of love and service is doomed to fail. Wickedness never was happiness. Lust is the opposite of love. We are all children of a loving Father in Heaven.
Rating
Four out of Five stars

Spirit Animals event and Review of Hunted

Hi everyone. I would've done this post yesterday. However I had homework I needed to do. Anyway, this Tuesday I went with my brothers Jonathan and Michael to see the book party for the Spirit Animals series from Scholastic. I was walking up to go in and I realized the person standing right next to me was none other than Brandon Mull himself. That was a surprise. That was the first time I ever entered the room the same time as an author. The other authors of the Spirit Animals series were also there: Maggie Stiefvater, Garth Nix, and Sean Williams. They talked about their lives and their works, and we saw some funny pictures and videos (Maggie's video of her goats was especially funny). I learned that Garth Nix plays the tie-in computer game. They even did a little presentation for some kids chosen from the audience by allowing them to use their imagination to bond with Spirit Animals. Perhaps I need to explain the series a little bit before continuing.
Spirit Animals is a fantasy series that takes place in the world of Erdas, which is like another version of Earth. There are four main continents as well as a mysterious fifth continent. In Erdas there aren't any magical creatures that we would think of. Translation: No dragons, no unicorns, no elves, no dwarves, etc. However there is still plenty of mystical stuff. When a child reaches a certain age in Erdas they are allowed to drink a special nectar that will allow them to summon a Spirit Animal. Not everyone can do it though. As to what a Spirit Animal is, they're animals that bond with humans and allow their human partners to gain special abilities like healing, incredible eyesight, agility, etc. According to legend a long time ago an evil known as the Devourer sought to conquer the entire world, but was stopped by the Great Beasts. The Great Beasts are the most powerful of all the Spirit Animals and guard special talismans. However the victory against the Devourer was costly, for four of the Great Beasts, known as the Four Fallen, paid with their lives to stop him. However in the series the four main characters, separated by great distances, have summoned all four of the Fallen. Now they must learn to work together and travel the world to find the other Great Beasts and collect their talismans before the enemy can.
I've been enjoying the series and I enjoyed meeting all four authors. Brandon Mull has said that he thinks his Spirit Animal would probably be a dolphin. Now on to the review:

In Hunted we get a little more of a story to show the bond between the humans and their Spirit Animals. Conor and his friends are still working on developing their bond with their Spirit Animals when they learn of the location of the next Great Beast. However when returning home to Eura Conor finds things have changed greatly. The Conquerors, who work for the Devourer, have developed a means of forcing a bond to be made and many in Conor's village have turned as a result. Not only must they get to the Talisman first, but they have to prove that they're the heroes and not the Conquerers. This book was one that made me want to keep reading instead of doing things I needed to do. I kept thinking to myself that what the Conquerers did wasn't creating a bond, it was enslaving animals. Essentially their method of bonding requires no teamwork and no trust. The human has all control while the animal does simply what it's told. It's little more than an organic robot in my opinion. A great story about trust and friendship.
Caution:
Kids are in peril and threatened. Some mild blood.
Lessons:
When we act out of pride, we often do terrible things that hurt others and ourselves. True friendship and teamwork comes from trust. We can be so much more than what we think. Losing a loved one is extremely painful. When we stop and think about our options we can see other choices around us.
Rating: Five out of Five Stars