What happened after Lizzie and Jane lived happily ever after?

The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet: A Novel (Lizzie Bennet Diaries)

By Kate Rorick and Rachel Kiley

Series: Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Touchstone (September 29, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1476763232

ISBN-13: 978-1476763231

Approximate Lexile: 950

 

Publisher’s Blurb:

Based on the Emmy Award­-winning “genius” (The Guardian) web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this is a new novel starring Lizzie’s spunky sister Lydia as she navigates the joys and pitfalls of becoming an adult in the digital age.

Before her older sister, Lizzie, started her wildly popular vlog, Lydia was just a normal twenty-year-old plotting the many ways she could get away with skipping her community college classes and finding the perfect fake ID. She may not have had much direction, but she loved her family and had plenty of fun. Then Lizzie’s vlog turned the Bennet sisters into Internet sensations, and Lydia basked in the attention as people watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr’d, and blogged about her life. But not all attention is good…

After her ex-boyfriend, George Wickham took advantage of Lydia’s newfound web-fame, betrayed her trust, and destroyed her online reputation, she’s no longer a naïve, carefree girl. Now, Lydia must work to win back her family’s trust and respect and find her place in a far more judgmental world.

Told in Lydia’s distinctive, eccentric, and endearing voice, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet picks up right where The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet left off and “offers a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice without ruining it” (The Washington Post, on The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Featuring fresh twists, wonderful new characters, and scores of hilarious texts, doodles, and tweets, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet takes you behind the webcam and into the lives of your favorite sisters in a way that’s sure to satisfy existing fans and delight new ones.

 

My Thoughts:

I didn’t like this as much as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. That’s not to say I didn’t like seeing “what happens next.” It was good to see Lydia pick up the pieces after her downfall in the first book. She definitely shows growth, becoming less shallow and less self-centered and precious. But I still have trouble liking her. I’ll admit, some of it is simply because I disapprove of a lot of her behavior—call me old-fashioned if you must.

 

That said, I think the authors do a nice job of dealing with “aftermath” and Lydia’s struggles with determining people’s motivations for befriending her—is it her Internet infamy, or just because she is herself? That’s a big question in this book, and Lydia ends the story on a positive course.

Possible Objectionable Material: Lydia is definitely a 21^st century girl, who doesn’t have reservations about having sexual relationships. Her older sisters also appear to be sexually active with their respective men. A few f-bombs and mild cursing. Making out. Drunkenness.

 

Who Would Like This Book: Fans of Pride and Prejudice and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Rom-com lovers. Readers who like seeing characters develop and grow, despite painful moments. Probably women more than men—Lydia is definitely a girly-girl!

 

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advance Reader Ebook.

The plot thickens

The Glass Gauntlet (Blood Guard #2)

By Carter Roy

Age Range: 10 - 14 years

Grade Level: 4th - 8th

Series: The Blood Guard Series (Book 2)

Hardcover: 261 pages

Publisher: Two Lions (August 18, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1477826262

ISBN-13: 978-1477826263

Approximate Lexile: 880

Publisher’s Blurb:
Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he’s determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world’s survival.

Eager to prove he’s got what it takes, Ronan is sent on his first mission with his friends Greta and Sammy to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet. Paper and pencils and nerdy scholarship—where’s the life-or-death challenge in that? 

But the Glass Gauntlet is actually something much more dangerous: head-to-head competitions against ruthless opponents. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Who can he trust, and who will kill him? Ronan has to figure it out fast because his enemies are multiplying, and soon he will have to pass the ultimate test: facing his father again and standing up to those who threaten not only him and his friends but also the world.

My take:
Just as with the first book, I was immediately captured. The characters and their relationships continue to ring true to me. The good vs. evil plot continues, with new characters and complications coming in to enrich the story. It’s a little slower going than book one, which is typical of the middle book in a series, but has enough highs and lows to keep the reader engaged.

Can’t wait for number three!

Possible objectionable material: Disobeying adults. Perilous situations. Violence, some gory but none graphic. One reviewer points out that the idea of 36 “Pure” individuals on earth, whose souls are reincarnated, and who keep the world worthy of continuing, is against their religious beliefs. This could offend some; your suspension of disbelief may vary.

Who would like this book: I think this would be a great book for reluctant readers, because the plot keeps you wanting more. Late elementary through early high school. (Let's face it, I'm 51 and I liked it.) While it’s a book that girls can definitely get into, it’s a great choice for boys who don’t like female protagonists. (Greta is such a strong character, they’ll get a lot of girl anyway.)

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader ebook.

A Quest to Save the World

The Blood Guard

By Carter Roy

Age Range: 10 - 14 years

Grade Level: 4th - 8th

Series: The Blood Guard Series (Book 1)

Paperback: 279 pages

Publisher: Two Lions (June 9, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1477816208

ISBN-13: 978-1477816202

Approximate Lexile: 880

Publisher’s Blurb:
When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove’s seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too?
His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she’s a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure—thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive. 

Now all those after-school activities—gymnastics, judo, survival training—she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure—dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he’s never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom’s last words of advice: Trust no one. 

That’s a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan’s not ordinary at all.

My take:
This was a lot of fun. It had me immersed almost immediately. Ronan, the first-person narrator, is believable as a kid who doesn’t fit in, and Greta is a strong female secondary character. They meet more characters along the way, mostly male, who add variety and fun to the cast. I like that the author isn’t afraid to have women be bad guys as well!

This falls into the fantasy/adventure genre, with its immortal characters, zombie-like bad guys, and more. Not to mention a plot to end the world!

I would definitely consider this as a read-aloud the next time I teach freshmen.

Possible objectionable material: Disobeying adults. Perilous situations. Violence, some gory but none graphic. An immortal character is decapitated (offscreen) and walks around holding his head. Extremely mild swearing (mom is referred to as a “badass.”)

Who would like this book: I think this would be a great book for reluctant readers, because the plot keeps you wanting more. Late elementary through early high school. (Let's face it, I'm 51 and I liked it.) While it’s a book that girls can definitely get into, it’s a great choice for boys who don’t like female protagonists. (Greta is such a strong character, they’ll get a lot of girl anyway.)

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader ebook.