KJ Reviews

Attia is a warrior princess of Thrace, enslaved by the Romans who conquered her people.  Fiesty and fearless, she plots to kill her captors and avenge her father's death.  However, as she develops an unlikely bond with a champion gladiator, nothing is as simple as she had thought.  Blood and Sand is equal parts action, romance, intrigue, and political thriller.  There's something for everyone.  The story draws the reader in, and the action keeps moving throughout.  Teens who enjoy history will find the setting interesting, but there's plenty to pique the interest of every type of reader.  The story shows great character development, especially for Attia, and Xanthus's complexity is explored, as well.  One critique, though, is that the point of view tends to shift between these two main characters abruptly at times - occasionally mid-chapter or even mid-scene - which can be jarring.  I did not care for the ending, which also seemed much too abrupt.  There were s

Chengli, a Chinese orphan, feels called by a spirit wind to join a caravan along the Silk Road.  He longs to learn about his father who once traveled the trade route as an imperial inspector.  When the caravan Chengli joins is chosen to convey a princess to her future husband at the other end of the Silk Road, their months-long journey through new lands filled with adventure soon begins.  Throughout the journey, Chengli learns new things about himself, his father, and the world beyond The Great Wall. This book is very well researched and readers will learn a great deal about China during the Tang Dynasty, and its neighboring trade partners along the Silk Road.  The geography of each region presented is described well, and new vocabulary is introduced in a seamless way.  The story becomes truly exciting about two-thirds of the way through, and young readers will enjoy the action sequences near the end of the story, especially.  In addition, the story begins quickly, with Chengli choo