Deb Logan

If you are looking for unique and innovative presentation of dragons and their abilities, you will not find them in this book but that does not detract from the overall charm of the story presented here. However, refreshing in its transparency, rather than being predictable, Sorcha's Heart is a sweet little fantasy novella which is firmly couched in the authors on personal take on existing 'dragon lore.'

In a world where mankind and dragonkind are pitted each against the other it falls to one young woman to find a way to broker peace and save both races from extinction… and with the help of an ancient artifact which she is destined, from birth, to discover, she does so in a most unique and life-changing manner. Through the changes wrought in her female protagonist, Ms Mumford gives us an interesting dragons-eye view of humanity, but more thoroughly presents what it is to be a dragon.

The only complaint I have is that I wanted more. There are so many potentially interesting facts and perspectives touched upon in the course of telling the story, but few in sufficient details to satisfy the emotional engagement that lay just beneath the surface of the book. This is not to say that it was badly written, just that it could perhaps have been better told as a longer story, rather than truncated as it was. In its current form it reads as being mostly suitable as a young adult novel – with the exception of a couple of intimate scenes – and perhaps that is what the original vision was. However, I think it suffered in that respect, as I so often found myself looking for greater depth and detail that just wasn't there. That said, the characters are well enough drawn to carry the story forward, and thankfully, Sorcha herself is a strong female protagonist who holds her own in the face of a weighty destiny, and visibly grows through the experience, coming into herself at last in the culmination of the story, and potentially into the opening of the following series of stories.… (mais)

In short: Twins Janine and Justin are stuck at their father's dinosaur-digging camp for the summer. While most kids would be thrilled, they've seen it all before. However, when Janine is called to find a mysterious egg for a mythological creature (the thunderbird), they're both drawn on a quest through the regular world and the spirit world in order to save the creature from dying.

When I read like a kid (I'm actually a grown up, despite what my daughter might say), I think differently than I do as an adult. Some kids' books you can read as an adult (like Harry Potter), but some kids' books you have to read like a kid (like Goosebumps). This book is a book you should really read as a kid, and that's a good thing. When twins Janine and Justin take off without their father knowing where they're going to follow a magical quest, my adult brain wanted to go, "No! Bad bad! Kids shouldn't take off without their parents!" but it's a book. So I turned off that part of my brain and just enjoyed the book for what it is, which is an adventure story. You know, a story in which people do stuff that they wouldn't normally do, which, you know, most kids can figure out that they shouldn't take off on magical quests without at least leaving their parents a note first.

One thing my adult brain really got into--Justin and Janine end up making part of their lengthy journey through the spirit world. As an adult, I've read a lot of stuff about traveling through various spirit worlds that just leaves me bored, but the adult side of me found the spirit world described here just as interesting as my kid brain did. I really enjoyed the fact that it changes depending on who your guide is? Loved it.

Fast action, not a lot of blah blah blah, good characters, interesting plot and locations: this book receives my kid-brain seal of approval.… (mais)