Book Review - Her Brother's Keeper by Mike Kupari

I pre-ordered Her Brother's Keeper back in June and have been waiting anxiously for it. This is for two reasons. First, I really like Mike's work with Larry Correia in Dead Six and Swords of Exodus. Those two books have awesome characters and action and a plot that is more complex than a whole lot of other books out there. I recently read some books through a free ebook service and I have not reviewed them here because they felt very mediocre. I once asked my Mom if Jane Eyre was a Gothic novel and she replied by saying Jane Eyre is what Gothic novels aspired to be. Dead Six and Swords of Exodus are to action and military thriller as Jane Eyre is to Gothic. Because of how Mike and Larry wrote those books, you can tell when you're reading Mike and when you're reading Larry. This is not due to a difference in quality but rather style, and Mike has established a great writing style. I would say that Mike has a great way with characters, specially ones that have to deal with all kinds of troubles and still keep on moving. Second, for a brief period, before he cleared out his Facebook friends, I was able to interact with him and see a bit of his life. He was a really nice guy. Somebody that impressed me in several different ways. I don't know that I would be able relate to him or that we would have a lot in common, but he was somebody that I wanted to see succeed. Her Brother's Keeper is his first solo book and if it did well then he might be able to get a contact with the publisher that would help support him. Between his good writing and my desire to see him succeed, I wanted to support him. That is why I pre-ordered his book. And I'm glad I did.

Plot: Cecil Blackwood is the heir to the Blackwood clan's fortune and power on Avolon. He is also a bit of a scoundrel. His latest adventure has sent him to the far distant, tumultuous planet of Zanzibar, hunting alien relics where he was quickly captured by a local warlord, Lang. Now he is being ransomed off to his family. Captain Catherine Blackwood runs a tight ship and has a reputation for calm efficiency. That's one of the reasons her father hired her to get her brother back despite not being happy with her chosen career. Catherine's job is to travel the months long journey to Zanzibar and get her brother back. Her father simply intends to pay Lang, but Catherine knows that most jobs don't always go according to plan so while stopping for supplies she hires a few people who specialize in getting people like her brother away from warlords like Lang. With a ship for of supplies and some people who are very good at breaking things She sets off to rescue her brother. But Cecil won't be ideal for that time and what he and his colleagues find might just change Zanzibar for the worst.

My personal favorites: As with his other work, I liked the characters. Kupari has created a good cast. I would love to follow any of the characters into other stories whether it's Catherine into space, Cecil on a dig, or Marcus at home with the police. The world/galaxy Mike set up is complex. It explains the idea of "lost technologies" far better than I've seen it anywhere else. The action was, of course, well done. Mike knows his stuff having been in firefights and disarmed actual bombs himself. The story was also more than just your standard space opera. There was a mash of different genre stories throughout and it made it a lot of fun. It was difficult to put the book down once I started.

Considerations: There is little strong language, certainly a lot less than Dead Six. There wasn't any graphic violence, despite there being a fair amount of action. It was tastefully done. There was some sensuality with nothing graphic or too descriptive - along the lines of Dead Six again. All in all, I would recommend it to a older young adult and above audience - 18 or so.

I loved every minute of Her Brother's Keeper. It was a great action Sci-fi with classic elements such as space ship battles, FTL travel, new cultures and aliens and, where rocket ships take off and land on their tails, "...as God and Heinlein intended." I'm glad to have it in my collection and I look forward to future stories set in this world. The total length was 384 pages.

Book Review - The Aeronaut's Windlass:The Cinder Spire Series book 1 by Jim Butcher

I've reviewed a couple of Butcher's Dresden Files books and I enjoyed them quite a bit. I would like to read more of his stuff, but my library doesn't carry the next one I need. Luckily, I was able to get The Aeronaut's Windlass through my library's eBook collection. I was excited because I really liked Butcher's other stuff and I can appreciate, and enjoy, a good steam punk. Windlass was not a good steam punk, it was a great steam punk. It was accessible, mysterious, funny, intriguing, exciting, and captivating. Because I have a lot of reading time on the bus, I don't tend to read to myself at home. However, I couldn't get enough of this book and finished in traditional fashion, lying in bed unable to sleep until I finished it. It's the third of six books that I've got on my plate at the moment. And I'm glad that I was able to enjoy it.

Plot: The Spires are community that rises into the sky in structures built by unknown hands that are connected via airships powered by crystals grown over years, decades, and centuries. While they usually get along, every once in a while there are difficulties. Spire Albion is a prosperous "country", ruled by a council of noble houses and protected by the Fleet. Captain Francis Madison Grimm is not with the fleet. He was, but he was drummed out for cowardice, or at least that's what the official report said. Since then he's been making his way as a privateer wreaking havoc on Spire Aurora's merchant shipping. Enough that they decided to try to shoot down his ship. Limping home Grimm arrives in time to help repel a full scale assault on Spire Albion by Spire Aurora. Grimm isn't the only one that is able to lend a hand at the time of the assault. Gwendolyn, Benedict, Bridget and Rowl (a cat) are recruits finishing their training in the Guard who find themselves faced with the enemy. Showing great coolness and cunning while under fire they catch the eye of the man in charge and are tasked with a mission of finding out what the attack was trying to cover. There is more than meets the eyes going on.

My personal favorites: I liked everything about this book, the characters, the plot, the world, the action. Everything. It was gripping and complex, yet easy to follow. The cats were wonderful, adding intrigue and comic relief in turn. Yet everything was balanced so well that it didn't feel too much at any time. The tension was consistent but I didn't get desensitized. The learning curve was fairly lengthy but it was a gradual and, again, easy to follow. Butcher does a great job with action and suspense and there were several stand up and cheer moments. All in all it was a great read and an awesome ride.

Considerations: There was plenty of violence, but little of it was graphic. Some strong language, but nothing my that jumped out - a lot of it was in world language. Some sensuality, but very, very little, and nothing descriptive. I would probably recommend it for more of a mid to later young adult (sixteen and up) more for situation and technology considerations than for anything else.

I loved The Aeronauts's Windlass. It was a great action/adventure story told in a fun world and by an expert storyteller. It would be a great read for someone interested in steampunk or someone looking for a fun take on sci-fi. Either way, it's a total win. I got it on ebook, so I cannot say how long it was.

Sacrement Talk - Recognizing the Spirit - Nov 22, 2015

Update: I actually did not give all of this talk. I timed it out and it took a little less than 15 minutes. But when it was my turn to speak I only have 10 minutes. The great thing about writing your talk out and practicing it a few times is that you know what the important stuff is and you can cut the parts you don't need. Anyway, I wrote this as more of an article anyway so it works here. There are still some rough transitions but I still like it.

I love to look at the sky. Growing up my father taught me about different types of clouds and weather patterns. To this day I love watching lightning storms and listening to the rain. At night he would point out constellations, satellites, and the phases of the moon. I've stood with him and watched the northern lights and have lain with him in our sleeping bags underneath a sky so full of stars we couldn't speak. I know there is a God and the Heavens is where He dwells.

When Christ was born there were signs in the heavens. In the Americas the sun set but it was still light. All over the world a new star was seen. That star guided those wise men who studied the heavens to the Christ child where they fell and worshiped him. At His death, there were storms and tempest and the sun was blotted out for three days. Certainly in ancient times the sky was God's Facebook.

The sky does not have as much meaning today. We have maps, compasses, and GPS units to navigate by. We have satellites and radar to track storms and hurricanes. We even have telescopes and space probes that bring those far distant stars, planets, and even galaxies, into our labs and onto our personal devices. It's funny that if you want to see the sky now you usually look on a screen. But the sky and heavens are still there and they can guide us, warn us, and inspire us.

One of the songs that the choir is preparing for Christmas asks, "If a star were shining bright, would we notice in the night?" That line hit me hard. Would I notice a new star if it appeared? If my Heavenly Father was trying to tell me something and was using a star to do it, would I get the message? Would I be one of the wise men that, upon seeing the star would follow it. That got me thinking, am I noticing all the messages that my Heavenly Father is trying to send me? Has he reached out to me with his spirit and have I failed to notice? Has he hung a new star before me and have I noticed it?

Allow me to liken the Spirit to the sky, particularly the stars above. First, like the stars the Spirit requires us to look up in order to see them. Remember Pres. Monson's advice to Elder Carl B. Cook in of October of 2011, "It is better to look up" towards Christ and Heavenly Father. Second, the stars can only be seen if we are in a place where their light can shine. We will not be able to feel the Spirit if we "dwell in unholy temples" (Helaman 4:24). Third, If we are to attempt to make meaning of what we see in the sky, we must learn how to understand what we see. An understanding of how the Spirit speaks will not come just because we ask for it, but we "must study it out in your mind" (D&C 9:7-8). And fourth, even though we cannot always see them, the stars are always there, vigilant, constant, and unchanging. Can we not describe the Spirit in the same terms that Pres. Hinckley described the North Star as related in the April Conference of 2004, "...A constant in the midst of change. ...Something that could always be counted on, something that was dependable, an anchor in what otherwise appeared to be a moving and unstable firmament."

While I'm sure you could write an entire talk based on this analogy, this talk is not that. I tried to, but the topic I was given was recognizing the Spirit and it trying to make the entire simile fit that singular point was unnecessarily convoluted. So, without further reference to a rather nice analogy, if I say so myself, let us look at what is necessary to recognize the Spirit.

All of us must learn how to recognize the Spirit. A great example of this is the prophet Samuel. The history is recorded in 1st Samuel 3:1-10. As he's lying down to sleep Samuel, the young assistant to the priest Eli is called by the Lord. As the scripture says in verse 7, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him." Thinking his master had called him, Samuel ran to Eli who had just crawled into bed. Eli tells Samuel that he didn't call him and to go back to bed. This happens again, Samuel is called, goes to Eli, and is sent back to bed. The third time it happens Eli realizes what is going on and instructs Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." Samuel went on to become a great prophet of God but we must remember that he, like all of us, had to learn.

An important step in recognizing the Spirit is to invite the Spirit. Elder David A Bednar said in Oct conference of 2010, "We more readily receive and recognize the Spirit of the Lord as we appropriately invite Him into our lives. We cannot compel, coerce, or command the Holy Ghost. Rather, we should invite Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us." We will never recognize the spirit if we do not make a place for Him in our hearts through prayer, fasting, and fulfilling our covenants. It is as we strive to live the gospel and be worthy of His presence that we may receive and then recognize the spirit. We must be careful though. At my fingertips I have all of the church magazines and general conference talks back to the 1970s. I have access to the church website anywhere my phone can get a signal. I can read, watch, or listen to almost anything I want just by pulling my phone out of my pocket. The Lord has helped this come to pass because it will enable His gospel to be spread faster and to more people than ever before. However, it is not hard for Satan to use this wonderful opportunity to hinder us with the other things we can do with technology.. With it he can distract us from better things. He can inundate us with media or other, more mundane thoughts until we become distracted from the spirit. It is possible to become addicted to entertainment and like any addiction, it can deaden our senses to more important things. While as a missionary I read an Ensign article by Pres. Hinckely entitled "Life's Obligations." In it he quoted Pres. McKay, speaking to the Twelve, "Brethren, we do not spend enough time meditating." Pres. Hinckley went on to say, "I believe [men's] lives would be enriched if, instead of sitting on the sofa (or anywhere else) and watching (or playing) a game that will be forgotten tomorrow, they would read and think and ponder. They would be blessed if they were to go out into the dark of the night, look at the stars, and ponder their place in the eternal plan of the Almighty." (emphasis added).  We have but to set our technology aside for a time and focus our thoughts on the things of God. We should not be afraid of quiet or silence, or of not being connected to the busy world around us. The world will continue even if we are not keeping an eye on it. Meditation, reflection, pondering, introspection, and even simple wondering are things we can do almost anywhere. I've found my morning bus ride to be an excellent place for meditation and reflecting. I can watch the sun rise on God's green earth and read His scriptures or the words of His prophets. I do not have a powerful spiritual experience every morning, but I am in a state of mind where I can.

I read an article on LDS.org recently that mentioned that many people, especially children think that we can only feel the Spirit at monumental events or special occasions such as a baptism, temple open house, or when asking in the Book of Mormon is true. I tried this with my own children, and while young, they both remembered feeling the Spirit at the Brigham and Ogden temple open houses. In these moments it is hard not to feel the Spirit and it is easy to recognize his influence in those moments, but he is not limited to only manifesting at those times. The article pointed point that we can, and should, learn to recognize the Spirit throughout our day. In this way we can be guided and have peace and comfort regardless of when our baptism or last temple trip was. Bishop Perkins commonly asks in Priesthood opening excises for people to share any spiritual experiences they had during the week. Such sharing enables all of us to come to know how the Spirit works in others lives and helps us learn how to see it in our lives. While we should be mindful not to share anything too personal or too sacred we should share how the Spirit touches us, especially with children, so that others may also come to see it in their lives. This is because the Spirit may manifest in many different ways. Pres. Howard W. Hunter explained, " I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself. I have watched a great many of my brethren over the years and we have shared some rare and unspeakable spiritual experiences together. Those experiences have all been different, each special in its own way, and such sacred moments may or may not be accompanied by tears. Very often they are, but sometimes they are accompanied by total silence. Other times they are accompanied by joy. Always they are accompanied by a great manifestation of the truth, of revelation to the heart. … Listen for the truth, hearken to the doctrine, and let the manifestation of the spirit come as it may in all of its many and varied forms." (from Teaching: No Greater Call [Link])

Often the Spirit may come to us as a persistent or powerful thought. While preparing this talk I experienced this. As I arrived at work I was suddenly hit with that thought that I needed to see my sister. At first I thought that I had this feeling because I hadn't seen here for a while, but I soon realized that it was more than that. All I could think about was how I could see her. It was not hard to arrange it and within a relatively short time I was able to bring her some hot chocolate and sit and chat with her for five minutes. It turned out that she had been needing some comfort and I was able to give it. Elder Lawrence in this last conference mentioned spiritual promptings to "stop complaining," "clean your room," "increasing your temple attendance," and "keep the Sabbath day holy." Hardly the typical "Thou shalts" we read in the scriptures, but none the less they are promptings from the Spirit. These kinds of manifestations of the Spirit can feel like our own thoughts and we sometimes question if it really is the Spirit talking to us. However, there is a simple way we can resolve that questions. Moroni 7:13 says, "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." Regardless of what you may feel prompted to do and regardless of if that prompting comes as direction from the Spirit or from your own thoughts, if it directs you to do good it is from God. As we learn to recognize and act on these feelings as being from God, then He in turn can send us more promptings knowing that we will fulfill them. And thus we will grow as the Lord has said, "I will give unto the children of men line upon line, preceptupon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." (2nd Nephi 28:30).

Brothers and Sister, may we never have enough of the Spirit in our lives. May we always look up to Him who knows all things and recognize his Spirit when it comes. It can sometimes be frightening to think about what the Lord may prompt us to do, but I know that He will not ask us to do anything that we are incapable of. Such is His way. I bear my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ and that as we strive to do His work that He will guide us through the Spirit. As seek to invite and recognize the Spirit we will see him and as we act on those promptings we will be blessed with success. We may not always see that success, but we will continue to have more experiences with the Spirit that will bless us. This is know and say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Daniel M. Allred

Nov 22 / 2015

Photo update

I use this blog as much as a scrapbook or journal as a family letter. So some posts are specifically for my own records. I recently went through my phone to swap out SD cards and I came across these pictures and decided I should post them. They are in no particular order and many are completely unrelated to the other, but here they are so that Kanga, Tigger, and Roo can enjoy them later.

Angel pulled the tent out a couple times this summer and the kids had a blast playing in it. The hard part was always making sure to clean it up before the next day so the sprinklers wouldn't douse it and everything inside it. The kids did spend a couple of nights outside in the tent over a Friday night. They got about as much sleep as if they'd had a slumber party (one of the greatest oxymorons ever created).

This was the picture that Angel sent me of the kids on their first day of school. Tigger started kindergarten and Kanga entered 2nd grade. As of now they are still enjoying school although Tigger can only tell me what he did at break. However, I was reading to him last night and quizzing him on his letters sounds and names and he did a lot better than he has in the past, so I guess we'll let him keep going. :) Kanga loves doing homework with friends and is glad that we had a new family move in that has kids her age that she can play with.She's still studying Chinese and doing a pretty good job of speaking it. I'll have to see what movies we have that have Chinese subtitles/language tracks. Their school was recently featured for it's "super readers" and we attended a celebration at the high school a could of weeks ago. They had superhero and princess look-a-likes. I thought it was funny how they use characters from predominately video based formats to advocate reading. I'm sure it has something to do with visibility.

I took this picture because it was just such a beautify image. I love the look of the clouds and flag. I was feeling very patriotic. This picture is from several weeks ago. The weather has been turning colder since then and it even snowed yesterday and today. There is snow on the caps of the mountain and we're going to buy Angel some new snow boots. I don't mind taking the bus when the weather is questionable because then I don't have to drive in it and can enjoy reading a book. Regardless, I love this was a good day and the Picture turned out pretty decent.

This is the last of my canning for the year. Last year we didn't get any apples (or at least not enough to do anything with). This year we didn't get as many as two years ago, but it was enough to make 11 quarts of applesauce. As with other canning projects, I managed the majority of the project, but I don't mind. I really enjoy being able to see the fruit-based-results of my labor. The kids helped me process one of the batches, using the plunger to push the boiled apples down the food processor. Two years ago I used my mom's old hand crank strainer, but this year I used one we got with our Kitchen Aid mixer. It was nice not to have to turn the handle, and it performed really well. It was a busy day because Angel went to a girl's night with her mother and sister and I had the kids and their friends for the afternoon. I'm glad that I can handle the kids while Angel gets away.

This was Halloween this year. It was a year of reused costumes. Kanga's was one she wore shortly after Tigger was born (Tigger her brother, not the brother dressed as Tigger). The didn't have her size when we bought it, so we got a size bigger. Turns out that 7 year-old Kanga can fit in 3 year-old Kanga's clothes. Tigger did get the armour and helmet this year, but the cape and the sword were from other occasions. He's also wearing camo pants. Roo is wearing his cousin's costume, or was it Tigger's costume? I can't remember, but we didn't buy it. As for myself, I'm just wearing my airsoft stuff with a nerf gun. Angel stayed at home and passed out candy. This was the best picture that we had form my phone. I don't look like much, but the kids are better here than in the other one. Either way, we had fun and got a lot of candy.

This is what I came home to the other day. I had my usual early morning Sunday meeting and as I come up the stairs I see Roo sitting on the table eating butter off the butter knife. He's started climbing more, despite not walking yet. Heights do not appear to worry him, although he doesn't like it when he can't reach the floor but can't pull himself up either. His feet swing like a pendulum and then he starts to worry. We're hoping he starts walking soon because he is getting heavy!

That catches us up on some more current pictures. I need to get some for my office because Roo doesn't even have a picture in my office. I'll work on that next.

Audible Book Review - Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior book 1

This is my last Audible review for a time. We are already trying to figure out how to get the means to support our audio book addiction, but for now, this is the last book I got from them. I preordered it a while ago and, clearly have been looking forward to it ever since. While Corriea is known for his "gun" fiction, this is his first shot (pun intended) at epic fantasy. You might think that Into the Storm would be his first shot, but remember that he was given a world to work with and got to write a great story within that world. Even his other books are based on worlds that already existed (for the most part) that he just tweaked. His tweaking is really, really good in my mind but Son of the Black Sword is 100% his own creation. And he does great. It feels different from his other books. There are some similarities, but I didn't feel that I was rereading anything. You could argue that Jake Sullivan, Agent Franks, and Ashok Vadal are the same person, but I say no. They act in similar ways but for very different reasons. And the difference in those reasons produces different people. Here is a link to the Audible page for the book. It was strange to listen to a book by Correia that was not narrated by Bronson Pinchot or Oliver Wyman, but Tim Gerard Reynolds who did a fantastic job. All in all I was very pleased with the story and am looking forward to the next in the series.

Plot: Lok is a continent surrounded by Hell. Demons possess the oceans and water is considered impure. Yet, water is necessary for life. This is just one of the contradictions that exist in Lok. There is no king, there is no ruler, there is only The Law that dictates all. But the law only applies to people and, due to a brutal caste system, there are hundreds of thousands of Untouchables - people that have no caste - that are treated as less than property. When ranked in order of importance cattle rank higher than the caste-less. Everyone has a place, except for them.

Ashok, of house Vadal's, place is that of enforcer of The Law. A member of the order of Protectors, he is sent to fight demons, kill criminals, end house wars, and fulfill the commands of those that oversee The Law. Ashok is known throughout Lok as "the Blackheart" because he is merciless and unflinching in his duty to The Law. To him, The Law is everything.

So when he learns that he is not who he things he is, that he is, in fact, the result of criminal activity, his world starts to collapse. Driven almost mad with the discovery he turns on those responsible and then turns himself in. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, Ashok holds one of the legendary ancestor blades - swords that can remember every person, every battle, every cut, slash, and parry and passes that information on to it's barer. They are swords that turn their bearers into men capable of defeating armies. But the swords are picky about who they choose. Anyone unworthy of wielding one of the black steel blades will find the sword unmerciful - usually by removing valuable body parts when they pick it up. A bearer of one of these swords is a force of nature and cannot be treated as a common criminal. So Ashok sits in his jail cell, confined only by his unwavering duty to The Law while those in power plot not only his demise but also that of hundreds of thousands. While The Law may be perfect, those that uphold it may not be so pure.

My personal favorites: One, the picture I have here. It was the original cover art, but the publisher included it as an art plate when they decided to go with the simpler cover. As usual, Correia shows great skill and establishing the world his characters inhabit. In this case he has created this world and I could believe it. From the politics to the castes to the magic and the time scale I got it. The characters were great as well. They have some good complexity and aren't just one sided. There are some great contradictions that provide some good conflict and intrigue. The book reads like a classic fantasy but with Larry's flair for action. I look forward to seeing where the story and characters go.

Considerations: Despite his other books, Son of the Black Sword does not have as much language as may be expected. Rather, I should say that Larry does a good job of creating in-world language. As water is considered evil most of their curses invoke it. "Oceans!" and "Fish eater" are some examples. While there is some gore, he does not dwell on it, nor is it gratuitous or visceral. There is plenty of violence - this is a Larry Correia book after all - but again, it does not dwell on the gruesome parts of it. It read like many of the classic fantasy books I read as a young adult. As usual there are no sex scenes and no real instances of sensuality or sexuality.

The book did not feel as long as it was and that was because I got sucked in pretty quick. It was a very enjoyable listen and I look forward to the future books. The total length was just under 16 and half hours.

Book Review - Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

This is the first of six books that I've currently collected and feel a need to finish in the next couple of weeks. This one came first because 1) it is a library book, so I needed to finish it in a timely manner, and 2) I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of it for a couple of months now. I really like Jessica Day George as you may be able to tell from the other six books I've read and reviewed. I was particularly interested in this one after my mother reported on going to hear the author talk about. George got many of the ideas from actually going to Romania and pulling on local legends. What some may not know about Romania is that within its boarders exists an area that is known around the world as the lair of a terrible beast - namely Transylvania. You can imagine some of their legends. Being a fan of the original Bram Stoker's Dracula and having spent time in Eastern Europe (if on the other side of the Black Sea, literally), I was very interested. Plus I like her stuff. I've been trying to borrow the book from my mother for a couple of months now, but my older sister, Muscles, got it first. Than Darpa, her husband, got it (pesky married couples!) so I had to wait. Fortunately our library had it this last time around and I picked it up, even though I wasn't planning on getting anything (I had enough other books to read first). However, I got sucked in and wrapped it up last night - within 72 hours or so of starting it. While that is slow in some ways, considering I have four other books I'm working my way through, it says something that I jumped straight to this one. I was not disappointed.

Plot: Dacia and Lou are cousins whose fathers are from upper crust New York and whose mothers are from a very, very old Romanian family. They are both on their way to Romania for the first time, Dacia by boat and Lou riding the Oriental Express from Paris. It is nearing the turn of the 20th century and Bucharest is known as "Little Paris" and is one of the jewels of Europe. However, Dacia and Lou are not there to enjoy the sights, they are there to learn about who they are and the tradition they bear. For two proper young ladies from cosmopolitan New York they have an awful lot to learn about what it means to have family connections.

My personal favorites: The format was great - the story was told from both of the girls' points of view as well as through letters, newspapers, and diary entries. It hearkened back to the original Dracula but also allowed for suspense and tension from the POV points. I also liked the characters and the way they developed. I thought found it plausible and believable. The story also kept me guessing, even tough it seemed like I should be able to guess where it was going.

Considerations: While some of George's other books (the Castle Glower books and I would also say the Dragon books) are more middle grade, Silver in the blood is more young adult. There is a little language, blood and violence, and rather nasty villain of the "do this or I make you watch your loved ones suffer" variety. With that said, I found nothing objectionable to a young teen .

Again, I really enjoyed the book. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, and of course it was romantic. I mean that in the classical, literal sense. Since Romania takes it's name and language from ancient Rome. "Roman"-tic. (sigh).

The total length was just over 350 pages.