To Catch a Pirate

            Ever since her ship was attacked a year ago, Annalise Townsend has been on the hunt. To catch a pirate. Her pirate, to be precise. The pirate who stole a kiss from her when the bloodthirsty villains were attacking her ship and seizing her father’s treasure. Now, after a year of fencing, a forged marque, and constant determination to catch the loathsome James Sterling, Anna is ready to take back her father’s stolen treasure. But now Anna’s is danger of something much worse: Sterling stealing her heart.

This is a fluff book. It has a basic plot—which is predicable at some parts—with basic characters and a basic ending. It isn’t life changing, or even close to Shakespeare, but it is a good book. The writing makes it good.

            The nerd that I am, I researched this book for weeks. I read review after review, trying to find out if this book was worth reading. Finally, I just bought the thing and read it, cover to cover, in a few hours.

            The writing was beautiful. Each sentence is golden. Most writers can’t jam-pack beautiful sentences on every page, but this one sounds natural and flows perfectly. As I said before, it isn’t that complex of a plot, or characters, but it is worth reading. It’s my fluff book, the book I read a few chapters out of when I’m bored or skim through the ending when I’m in the mood for a happy ending. If you’re looking for a complicated, action-packed adventure novel, this is not for you. But it is worth reading, worth keeping, if even as a fluff book. The writing is worth reading. Personally, I think every woman should read this, just for the charmingly cocky James Sterling.

Cloaked

Johnny is a modern cobbler in South Beach. But his dreams of princesses and adventure are permanently put on hold thanks to his duties to his family shoe business and his poor mother. When a gorgeous European princess offers to foot the bill for an adventure in Key West, Johnny doesn’t hesitate to agree. But there’s a catch—he’s looking for the princess’s very own frog prince…her brother.

            Johnny agrees to go, but the last thing he expects is real magic at work. Alex Finn’s latest novel cobbles together many different fairy tales, from the Elves and the Shoemaker and the Frog Prince to lesser known the Salad. It’s fast pace and action scenes keep it a quick read. Cloaked engages the reader from beginning to end. This is a delightful happily-ever-after fairly tale that will have you rooting for the average hero the whole way.

Back of the Book:

I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

     It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

     There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

     Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked.

Enna Burning

As happy as Enna is for her best friend's Isi's happily ever after, she can't help feeling a pang of sorrow when she thinks about her ending. While her friend married her true love and became the ruler of Bayern, Enna was stuck caring for her older brother after their mother's death. Isi was blessed with the power to understand the language of the winds. Enna can't help wishing she had a power like that. She can't help feeling she does have a power like that.
     Her problems begin when her brother, Leifer, finds a dangerous vellum containing secrets too terrible for a human being to carry. Suddenly, Enna's adventure becomes a frightening reality. When the secret threatens to destroy Leifer, Enna must save her brother—and herself—while trying to find her happily ever after.



Enna Burning is the companion book to Goose Girl, an earlier novel also by famed author Shannon Hale. It takes place after Isi's extraordinary adventure and wedding to Prince Geric and covers Isi's best friend's story. Enna is a character who—like us all—is just trying to find herself and an adventure of her own. Loved characters in Goose Girl return, namely Razo and Finn. I was very excited to see them return, since I loved them so much in the earlier novel.
     Goose Girl was a wonderful book, but it was a bit slow on getting the story rolling. Enna Burning immediately introduces the plot and begins the story at a much faster and exciting pace. However, Shannon Hale's beautiful writing stays consistent throughout her novels. This book is an exciting read that will leave you begging for more.