Kingmaker, Kingbreaker, Book One: The Innocent Mage, by Karen Miller

"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything."

Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars?and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations.

Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.

Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny.




Stichley's Rating:

For the most part I enjoyed this story, but I thought that the mood swings in the main character were unrealistic and annoying.  The story itself is good, but it is a good thing it isn't completely character motivated because I just didn't feel that it held up to that.  I'd give it a PG-13 for language, some intense moments of action and violence.

Experiment 429:  THUMBS UP

Instances of Swearing:

• Ass/Arse: 17
• Damn: 43
• Bitch: 5
• Shit: 9
• Bastard: 19
• Piss: 11

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book One: Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart. . . . And bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon . . . and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Stichley's Rating:

Fun easy to read book.  Don't recall any language at all.  The only reason I gave it a PG is because of fantasy action and because the book itself is rated for ages 10 and up.  Personally don't see any problems with younger age groups reading this, or older age groups (since I truly enjoyed it) .

Temeraire, Book One: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Stichley's Rating:

I really got sucked into this one, but then I'm a huge fan of historical fiction! Place this as PG-13 because I think it is too grown-up for kids, but really good!  Mostly fantasy violence.

Instances of Swearing:

• Hell: 4
• Damn: 10
• Bastard: 1

Takeshi Kovacs, Book One: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.

Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats “existence” as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning. . . .

Stichley's Rating:

The premise of this book was really good and I got sucked in fast, but it was filled with so much sex and swearing that I quit reading it very rapidly.  Can not recommend, and would definitely rate at R or higher.

Instances of Swearing:

• FU: 51
• Hell: 10
• Ass: 4
• Bitch: 7
• Shit: 40
• Genital Related: 62
• Bastard: 5

Codex Alera, Book One: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal. But now, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, grows old and lacks an heir. Ambitious High Lords plot and maneuver to place their Houses in positions of power, and a war of succession looms on the horizon." "Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat - return to the Valley, he will discover that his destiny is much greater than he could ever imagine." Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave named Amara. But she is actually a spy for Gaius Sextus, sent to the Valley to gather intelligence on traitors to the Crown, who may be in league with the barbaric Marat horde. And when the Valley erupts in chaos - when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies - Amara will find Tavi's courage and resourcefulness to be a power greater than any fury - one that could turn the tides of war.


Stichley's Rating:

Fantasy violence, few suggestive instances, overall a good read

Instances of swearing:

• Hell: 1
• Damn: 4
• Bitch: 9

Artemis Fowl, Book One: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous. Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules. Includes video footage from Eoin Colfer's one man stage show, Fairies, Fiends, & Flatulence.

Stichley's Raiting:

Good story, fantasy violence, magic and mild swearing.

Instances of Swearing

• Hell: 7 times
• Damn: 4 times

Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage

Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow -- a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?

Stichley's Rating:

Did not notice any swearing, however I would give this a PG rating if it were a movie due to mild fantasy action and magic.  Overall a good read and I enjoyed it very much.