Official Review: Sky Ghosts: All for One

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sky Ghosts: All for One" by Alexandra Engellmann.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Sky Ghosts: All for One by Alexandra Engellmann is the first installment in an urban fantasy series called Sky Ghosts, set in modern day New York. Alexandra introduces a new breed of things that go bump in the night in a setting all too familiar to bibliophiles and cinephiles alike. Her ultramundane creations are called Sky Ghosts and Sky Beasts. They might look like the average Dick and Jane, but they're certainly not. They are stronger, faster, and they possess the abilities to tear across the sky and leap off of buildings as high as the Empire State Building without so much as spraining an ankle in the process. Of course, for obvious reasons, they can only do it at night, when most of the world is sound asleep. Only one thing sets Ghosts and Beasts apart: the sides they have chosen.

Stationed at the New York Ghosts Headquarters, Pain and Jane are sisters who often argue with each other. When it comes to doing battle with the Beasts, however, they are the two Ghosts that their enemies fear most of all. The leader of the truculent Beasts is Eugene, and for some odd reason, he is very interested in two ordinary humans named Chad and David. The lives of the humans are soon threatened by Eugene's men, but unbeknownst to the humans as well as the Beasts, two Ghosts are regarding them from high atop a roof. These two are Pain and Jane. They swoop down to save the day, and in doing so, they open a can of worms that will have them running, and Beasts constantly in pursuit.

Alexandra is a star when it comes to crafting genuinely realistic characters. She knits them together so expertly with just the right amount of descriptive detail and provocative ammunition that's so applicable to novels that stand out in one's time as the best of their kind. The one "dot on the white wall" her book offers is a lack of memorability when it comes to New York City in general. She does a marvelous job when it comes to describing all interior settings, but when it comes to describing the outside world, the "rock falls of the mountain".

The vague relevancy of New York proves to be no inconvenience to the reader at all. Alexandra hits readers with everything from sword fighting, flying maidens, excellent comedy, brewing romances, days of tranquility, as well as moments of despair. Lopsidedness can take a cab, because it has no place in this novel. Overall, Alexandra did an outstanding job. This is her first book and she published it herself. She did the book cover too! Although it is part of a trilogy, other side novels will be published in the series which will focus heavily on the minor characters in this book. I'll definitely be paying attention to her work.

Although this book features mainly adult main characters, I think lovers of many bestselling young adult novels will find this book no less than enjoyable. This book features strong female characters, so if this is what you like, then you should definitely go for it. I'm taking a point away for the minor issue I have with the platitude of New York. My rating is 3 out of 4.

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Sky Ghosts: All for One
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Like Leon Durham's review? Post a comment saying so!

[bookowlie]

What a well written and entertaining review! The book sounds like it has it all - sword fighting, flying maidens, comedy, romance and despair. What more could a reader want?! I am not a major fantasy reader, but this one does sound really good.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review, Leon! I agree with BookOwlie--this review is like The Princess Bride--it has everything. Action, adventure, excitement.

Pain and Jane!? That's funny, in an awesome kinda way. It reminds me of when my brother had two cats named Princess and Fatty. (I don't know why.)

Sounds like a great book! Sci-fi is never my thing, but I bet I'd enjoy this book if I read it.

[bookowlie]

Great review, Leon! I agree with BookOwlie--this review is like The Princess Bride--it has everything. Action, adventure, excitement.

Pain and Jane!? That's funny, in an awesome kinda way. It reminds me of when my brother had two cats named Princess and Fatty. (I don't know why.)

Sounds like a great book! Sci-fi is never my thing, but I bet I'd enjoy this book if I read it.

I must be the only one who knew read The Princess Bridge!

Leon, the only thing you mentioned that didn't make sense was that the author didn't flesh out the outdoor setting. I mean, it's New York City!

[zeldas_lullaby]

I myself have never been to NYC. I'd have an impossible time of trying to fake it!

Funny typo, BookOwlie. What do you get when you cross the Princess Bride over the water? The Princess Bridge.

[bookowlie]

Ha ha ha. Oh my, that's almost as bad as my typo recently where I said, "I love our review" instead of "I love your review".

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA HA HA HA... Well, here, I'll make the same typo.

Leon, I love our review.

[bookowlie]

Great review, Leon! I agree with BookOwlie--this review is like The Princess Bride--it has everything. Action, adventure, excitement.

Pain and Jane!? That's funny, in an awesome kinda way. It reminds me of when my brother had two cats named Princess and Fatty. (I don't know why.)

Sounds like a great book! Sci-fi is never my thing, but I bet I'd enjoy this book if I read it.

I must be the only one who knew read The Princess Bridge!

Leon, the only thing you mentioned that didn't make sense was that the author didn't flesh out the outdoor setting. I mean, it's New York City!

I am the typo monster today! That sentence should read "I must be the only one who didn't read The Princess Bride."

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA! I caught that one too. Most of what I recall, though, is from the movie. (It's a must-see, and I hate movies, so that's saying something.)

Alexandra hits readers with everything from sword fighting, flying maidens, excellent comedy, brewing romances, days of tranquility, as well as moments of despair.

That's the reference that really makes me think of the Princess Bride. Because the Princess Bride, in equal measure, has: The Cliffs of Despair, the Rodents of Unusual Size (the ROUSes), the ... I don't know what it's called, but it's a scary forest that has sand pits that you fall right into... and a battle of wits involving poison, a six-fingered man, the concept of being nearly dead or partly dead, an old hag who yells "FOOOOOOOE," a torture meter, and swordplay on the top of the cliffs. Oh, and a sick kid in bed who's a total whiner. (A young Fred Savage.) It's all completely inconceivable... but in a good way. Leon's review makes this book seem like a winner, if it's half as good as The Princess Bride!

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

Thank you bookowlie and zeldas lullaby!

In regards to the NYC thing, Alexandra... What she does is remind you that you're in New York, not show you. Which is the only drawback because her characters are so incredibly well drawn you'd think they were standing right next to you.

I don't live in NYC either, z, so if I were to paint that monster, I'd rather use what I know from movies and other books I've read, add a few details of my own (it's fiction after all), mix it up with the actual streets of New York, and what do you know... a believable setting. The trick is to balance what you know with what you don't know, add a couple of inventions to distract the reader from the details you can't provide, and there you go--a believable setting. Sort of.

[Levi]

That would be the fire swamp, Zelda. Great review, Leon! I like how you described the book in detail, but without giving away too much. I also like the way your personality shines through in you review, add that is how I try to write mine as well (i.e. Lopsidedness can take a cab, as it had no place in this novel). I'm a little put off by the overall character names: sky beasts, sky ghosts and Pain and Jane's
That being said, it would not be enough to keep me away. Sounds like an interesting story!

[zeldas_lullaby]

To Leon: It sounds like the author might have a mental block! (I have, like, a million, so I'm not saying that in judgment!) I think you've got the right idea about how to tackle it, Leon!

(I actually have no idea where my books take place.)

To Levi: Ah, the fire swamp!! Pain and Jane. Jane's house of... never mind.

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

@Escapeartist

I guess when say Pain and Jane out loud it does sound kinda cartoonish. In the book, Pain's actual name is Patricia, if that helps.

@zeldas_lullaby

(I actually have no idea where my books take
place.)

Ouch, my stomach. Can't take it.

[ananya92]

A very well-written review. The storyline seems pretty different. I like it when a book has strong female characters; I might give this one a try.

[bookowlie]

Thank you bookowlie and zeldas lullaby!

In regards to the NYC thing, Alexandra... What she does is remind you that you're in New York, not show you. Which is the only drawback because her characters are so incredibly well drawn you'd think they were standing right next to you.

I don't live in NYC either, z, so if I were to paint that monster, I'd rather use what I know from movies and other books I've read, add a few details of my own (it's fiction after all), mix it up with the actual streets of New York, and what do you know... a believable setting. The trick is to balance what you know with what you don't know, add a couple of inventions to distract the reader from the details you can't provide, and there you go--a believable setting. Sort of.

NYC is such a larger-than-life city that it often becomes an extra character in books, in addition to being the setting. Sometimes the actual characters need to take center stage. Maybe that's why the author just reminds you that you're in NY rather than shows you. The only thing that would bother me is that technique usually works better with other locales. I mean, NYC is the elephant in the room in any book whether an author wants to showcase it or not.