Review : The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson

Title : The Chaos
Author : Nalo Hopkinson
Published April 17th 2012 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Sixteen-year-old Scotch struggles to fit in—at home she's the perfect daughter, at school she's provocatively sassy, and thanks to her mixed heritage, she doesn’t feel she belongs with the Caribbeans, whites, or blacks. And even more troubling, lately her skin is becoming covered in a sticky black substance that can't be removed. While trying to cope with this creepiness, she goes out with her brother—and he disappears. A mysterious bubble of light just swallows him up, and Scotch has no idea how to find him. Soon, the Chaos that has claimed her brother affects the city at large, until it seems like everyone is turning into crazy creatures. Scotch needs to get to the bottom of this supernatural situation ASAP before the Chaos consumes everything she's ever known—and she knows that the black shadowy entity that's begun trailing her every move is probably not going to help.

A blend of fantasy and Caribbean folklore, at its heart this tale is about identity and self acceptance—because only by acknowledging her imperfections can Scotch hope to save her brother.


*ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada

*****

Scotch's life hasn't been easy lately : she's having weird black and sticky spots growing on her skin and she's seeing bodiless horse heads wherever she goes. When her parents are out of town for a few days an underage Scotch and her brother go to a local bar for poetry slam. What promised to be an uneventful night turns out to be far worse than anyone would've dreamed of. A mysterious bubble of light appears out of nowhere and when her brother touches it, he instantly disappears into the unknown. A few seconds later, a volcano appears. Let the Chaos begin!

Scotch is your normal sixteen-year-old girl. She's now in a new school after other students mistreated her. The only thing she wants is to fit in and avoid drama like any normal teen. People often can't tell she's mixed-race : her father is white Jamaican and her mother is black American. Her life is suddenly turned upside down after her brother disappears and the whole city has gone mad. People are transforming, including Scotch whose skin is getting blacker every second. Mythical creatures have appeared and the city is getting weirder. In the midst of all this Chaos, Scotch is determined to find and rescue her brother.

I can describe The Chaos in one word : weird! Weird in a good way. I challenge anyone to find a book similar to this one. It's unique and captivating. I love the mythology and Caribbean folklore added to the story although I know nothing about Caribbean culture, it was still fun to read. The weirdness happening all over the world will put a smile on your face : the Big Ben is blowing gigantic soap bubbles and singing drinking songs, islands are made of gumdrops, there's a chicken-legged house and the list goes on.

For her first young adult novel, I think the author did an excellent job. The dialogue is well-written and the teens are described realistically (before the Chaos that is). The emotions they have are very age-appropriate.

The Chaos proves to be an entertaining and out of the ordinary read. It's refreshing to read a YA novel like this one. I'm saying it again : I can guarantee you haven't read anything like this. Although the ending left me a bit disappointed, The Chaos is an excellent read that I recommend to anyone who wants to read something new.

4 out of 5 stars!

Review : Fire Mage by John Forrester

Title : Fire Mage (Blacklight Chronicles Book One)
Author : John Forrester
Published November 11th 2011 by Amber Muse                  

For centuries, mages perfected magic at the Order of the Dawn. Mastery over fire, wind, and storm. They live in the last free city in a world plagued by dark sorcerers. Talis Storm and friend Mara discover a terrible secret. The Jiserian Empire has targeted their city for attack. An army of undead soldiers. Flying necromancers. None have ever survived. When a surprise aerial invasion hits the Order’s temple, Talis casts fire magic for the first time. But his spell is wild and does more harm than good. Sorcerers try to capture Talis and Mara. They flee into the temple crypts. Awoken from an ancient rest, a fallen champion slays the sorcerers and gives Talis a legendary map. The map leads them on a quest to discover the lost temple of the sun. To save his city, Talis must discover the power of magic locked away inside the ancient temple. And become a true fire mage.

*Book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.*


One night the city of Naru is under attack. While hiding from the dark sorcerers of the Jiserian Empire and running for their lives, Talis and his best friend Mara uncover a secret map. The Elders of Naru send Talis and a few other guys who Talis doesn't get along with to find out where this maps leads to in order to save the city. Their journey turns out to be quite adventurous and dangerous meeting friend and enemies along the way...

Talis and Mara have been friends for a long time even though their families don't get along very well. After a hunting incident leaves Mara hurt, Talis is forbidden to see Mara again.  That doesn't stop the two and Mara joins the boys on their quest in disguise. Talis doesn't get the recognition he would like from his father and hopes the quest will change that. He's also having trouble doing magic despite his training.

Fire Mage is a fast-paced, action-packed and an adventurous book perfect for young readers. My only regret is that it wasn't long enough. The writing is excellent! I couldn't put it down and read it (twice!) in one sitting. I love the friendship between Talis and Mara. When the two of them are together they seem to be unstoppable. They both seem very mature for their age. Not only will young readers love this book but adults too. I love the variety of characters some are mysterious while others are very courageous. I definitely want to read more about them and what's next on their journey.  From the way Fire Mage ended, I'm sure Sun Mage (book #2) will be just as amazing.

Fire Mage is an entertaining fantasy novel that will keep you turning the pages for more. You don't want to miss it!

5 out of 5 stars!

To learn more visit the author's website.