Enjoyable enough to recommend
589382
I read book 2 first a couple years ago based on the recommendation of a friend and really enjoyed it (the politics and philosophy). I was looking for a book to read and decided I'd start the series. This wasn't as good from a  philosophical or political meaning perspective; but as a "prequel" (for me) I was intrigued enough in the characters... I'm honestly not sure which book I'd recommend reading first...probably 2, I guess.
1307651
It was recommended and I enjoyed it.  A nice story!  Don't want to say too much so I don't spoil it for the next person.
1109755
You know, now I can't remember what prompted me to purchase this book, but I'm glad I did. It isn't perfect, but it was quite enjoyable. I doubt, however, that someone who doesn't like or doesn't know anything about baseball, would enjoy it much. I grew up in New York, and then lived in Boston for 10 years, and lived for a time two blocks from Fenway Park; we'd go up to the roof with a cooler and lawn chairs, and be able to see a lot of the game. So, while I'm not a baseball fanatic, yes, I like baseball. As I read this, I kept thinking that my late mother, who was far more of a baseball fan, would have enjoyed it even more.

I have picky tastes about fantasy, too, juvenile or adult. A story has to have some subtlety to it, and some rules. And I like a touch of humor. This novel has all three, to a degree adequate for an adult novel, not just a Young Adult. It's also got vocabulary that will certainly send Young Adults, and possibly some older ones, to their dictionaries. One reviewer compared the book to Narnia with a list of similarities; I would say that the differences are that this book has a sense of humor, and it's subtle enough not to hit you over the head with a sledgehammer about its point. Frankly, I never found the Narnia books worth rereading; I've found them simplistic, and the Christian allegory a little too over-riding for my tastes, though I enjoyed them when I was 10. Summerland is not a Christian allegory at all; it combines some aspects of many religions, and some of no religion at all. So those hoping to find "another Narnia" because they want a good "Christian story" will be disappointed. The rest of us, however, appreciate the work that went into picking ideas out of many traditions - Norse, Native American, Celtic, and secular legends.

In particular, the Tall Men seem to represent legendary large figures from every area - there's a recognizable John Bunyan equivalent, but others are clearly from non-Anglo-Western traditions.

Some of my favorite things about the book:

*The Saab named Skidbladnir, Skid for short, and all its dials in Swedish. Hey, now I know the Swedish for gasoline and volume!

*Grim the Giant, who is not quite 5 feet tall.

*The size changes required for Fair Folk to play baseball with Tall Men or even humans, and the comments on how the perception of size affects one's play.

*The wererat; the only other wererat I've read in fantasy is in Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series, and it's interesting to compare the ideas of what a human-rat were would turn out like. (Note: the Hamilton series is emphatically NOT young adult!!)

Stuff I didn't like: the ending, unlike the rest of the book, was a little too simple. I think I would have liked the victory to be a teensy bit less obvious, and our heroes' trip back home to be more difficult, as, for example, in The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, where going home again takes some effort, and the characters' experiences have changed them enough that home is no longer as comfortable as it once was. In Summerland, the characters have grown up some, but they slide right back into the limited society of Clam Island as if nobody else noticed anything different.

All in all, worth the read, and then pass it along to someone else who loves both books and baseball!
987058
"Precinct 13" tells the story of a newly elected motician, A--, who is surprised to discover magic: in her community and herself. A-- is quickly swept into a magical section of the police force. The action centers around several light weight mysteries.

A-- is a pleasant young lady, whom I simply liked. The mysteries didn't involve murder (how rare is that!) and so the book as a whole was up-beat, enjoyable and fun. There is a minor romantic sub-plot, all emotion and nothing physical. The most we get on paper are a few hugs, and polite implications that more happens off camera. Most of the book focuses on A-- coming to terms with her magical abilities, and meeting / discovering the magical police force.

I found "Precinct 13" in the "Romance" aile, but I would put this book solidly in the "SciFi/Fantasy" section. I think most of 3-star reviewers were wanting "Romance", and I must admit there isn't much. A--'s boyfriend isn't introduced until the book is literally half over.

This was a fabulous book, the best I've read in a long time.
1128643
This book was a pleasant surprise.  Unfortunately, because of past experience, I have come (most often) to equate the words "cozy mystery" to something a bit boring or overly silly. But that wasn't the case with this one...I enjoyed it enough to order the 2nd one.  I found myself liking the characters (well, all except for the, soon-to-be (HOPEFULLY!) ex-husband), which is a BIG PLUS when it comes to being willing to invest in their story.
2136408
I quite enjoyed this book. It's a pretty fast read, but doesn't suffer for it. The character development moves along pretty well. I found myself drawn in.
I found the fake "swear words" a little distracting, but not terribly so. I appreciate that the author wanted to communicate salty language, but chose to not assault my ears.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
844904
I enjoyed this book.  Not really my style but easy enough to read that I may give the second book a try.
2766562
Fun enough read to convince me to buy the second in the series.
I was not disappointed.  :-)
4833163
This was a Kindle First choice.  I enjoyed this book.  It is written well, easy to follow and no major grammatical errors.  The storyline felt slightly predictable at times, but not entirely.  I felt that the characters were diverse, though I didn't really feel emotionally connected to any of them.

I would be willing to read another book by this author, though I wouldn't seek out a sequel to this one.
4011430
I am enjoying this series. It is competently written with romance, mystery and magical felines. The magical talents of Owen and Hercules are atypical of the genre, unpredictably timed and not as ridiculously outside of reality as in some other series. (I am susceptible to my Kindle's function as a gateway to the Amazon drug. I read samples of the related books bought by other readers.)

The characters are likeable and memorable, although it took at least two books for me to distinguish Ruby, Maggie, Rebecca and Mary. (I'm bad with names and faces in reality, too.)

The mysteries are somewhat predictable, but not completely trite. Kathleen, of course, ends up in terrible danger and rescues herself before she is comforted by Marcus.

The contrived conflict between them is ridiculed by the other characters, the cats (as translated by Kathleen) and eventually by Kathleen, herself. This saves the contrivance from ruining the appeal of the stories.

I do confuse the different books of Sofie Kelly's magical cats series, but I enjoy them. I recommend this series as an entertaining light read.
1022215
Decent read.  The story carries through at a nice pace. The characters are explored sufficiently to make them believable.  Entertaining enough ! I'll recommend it.
1509313
Nice romance with enough story and plot and some steamy scenes, not that graphic but nice enough
2567789
I got this book through an EReader recommendation, and was surprised to enjoy it as much as I did.  The story is good, despite the obvious parallels to various real-world religions and cultures, and the characters are well-developed, to the point where the reader will actually find himself caring what happens to them.  The details of the various cultures and settings in the story add to it and for me were the best part of the story.  I sometimes actually found myself wishing the author would go into a little more depth and give more background about some of the cultural references that were only lightly touched on, but hinted at a deeper background story.

The weakest part of the story was the fairly predictable plot and almost obligatory occurrences that advanced the storyline.  But even when you know your destination, the journey can be enjoyable if the scenery along the way is good.  I would recommend this book to fantasy fans.  It's worth the read.
4637593
This book had many positives and negatives, and they balance out. Almost.
The characters are fun, and feel fairly fleshed out. I was happy that the mystery part of this book actually held some suspense and unfolded well; lately the cozy mystery genre has less to do with solving a puzzle and more to do with "hey, look at this wacky world I created! Aren't the characters neat!?" I loved the main character. It was refreshing that she's of later years, that she's a retired police detective, and that her life and experiences impacted her view points so clearly. It's also kinda nice that there are a selection of suitors that are available and are clearly unnecessary. That she isn't in need of them to be a fully realized person. Also, while she isn't the strongest female lead I've come across, she isn't weak.
Okay, the negatives.
Firstly, it's painfully obvious the author is from the UK, or has been there most of their life, and that's fine. But when the narrative voice is American (New Englander to be exact), there are specific word choices and turns of phrase that do not jive well and fall flat, leading to a disconnect between the reader and the voice of the character.
Secondly, the continuity and time line feel off. At one point it's stated that it's just after Halloween, or "a little past", but only a few paragraphs later it's stated to be December. Also there are little mistakes with regard to the person speaking and the person being talked to. Part way through one sentence/paragraph they switch without reason or clarity.
Lastly, the pacing could have been a little tighter and the story felt short because of it.

There's a lot of potential here and you could do worse than giving this book a try. But you can also do much better.
I only hope the other books in the series are better edited and tighter.
4738353
While this novel was fairly lightweight and predictable, it was still an enjoyable read. The characters, while not drawn with much depth, were nevertheless likeable and it kept my attention. Sometimes you need a book for distraction from life, and this fit the bill.
655778
Enjoyable mostly. Some stretches are less interesting and engaging than others, but overall I enjoyed it
4428131
I really enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the easy-reading start that matched up with the age and experience of the children involved and how gradually as they became older and more complex, so did the writing and the story. Im also a fan of near future stuff that is hopeful as well as cautionary and I thought Anders balanced this well. Plus, it was great to read a story that looked at the intersection of magic and science as necessary for fixing global catastrophe and also at the ideas of balance, giving too much, taking too much, and giving up too soon.

I felt like all the key elements of the story were also reflected in the relationship between Patricia and Laurence, up to and including their imperfect friendship, and that imperfection and their ability to fail one another made them seem particularly real as protagonists to me. Also, I really appreciated the resolution of the book where AI Peregrine (one of my favourite parts of the book) was joined with the tree  how two all encompassing entities were still after connection in the end. I love that kind of message.

I adored the quirky descriptions of San Francisco, I was reminded why its a place Id love to visit someday! Plus, across the book there were so many characters and it was nice to just enjoy that not all of them were white, or middle class, and straight. It was pretty subtle, as it should be  especially where queerness or poverty or whiteness aren't critical to the story. Most reviews for this book struggle to put it into words, and I have to agree with that  its enjoyable and whimsical, playful and serious with genuine depth. But there were still some loose story ends that I wasn't really satisfied with, plus there seemed to be too little information about Patricia and Laurances respective specialised schooling once they parted ways  given the way the story went Id have thought there would be some time spent on that. Overall, this was a satisfying stand alone read, its wonderfully speculative without being overladen or heavy handed and would suit those who enjoy stand alone novels, modern fantasy with no medieval anything in sight, and those who aren't necessarily particular fans of speculative fiction.