Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Countdown to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Book Seven-Part 2-THE REST OF HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS BY J.K ROWLING!!
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Yep, it’s time for Part II!!!! Whoo-hoo! It’s the Last Battle, and it’s awesome!! Here we go:

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WARNING!!!!!!

ENJOY!

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            Okay, where were we? Oh, yeah. Dobby just died, they’re at Shell Cottage with Luna, Dean, Mr. Ollivander, and Griphook. Wonderful.

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            The trio only stays there long enough to interrogate Griphook and Mr. Ollivander about the possibility of a Horcrux in the Lestranges’ vault and the possibility of Lord Voldemort having (dun-dun-doww!!) the Elder Wand, respectively.

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            So they set off to break into Gringotts-not a good idea, to say the least. This is proved when the treasure in the vault is cursed and nearly kills them, a horde of goblins turn up and nearly kill them, and they hitch a ride on a blind dragon (do NOT try that at home!), which again, nearly kills them.

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            Luckily, though, they get the Horcrux-a cup that used to belong to Helga Hufflepuff. Unluckily, Griphook got the sword, so they have nothing to destroy it with. Unluckier still, Voldemort’s noticed Harry’s going after his Horcruxes. He’s going around checking on them-and no doubt he’s going to be slightly annoyed when he discovers most of them are gone. Okay, that was a bit of an understatement. Try REALLY REALLY YELL-HIS-LUNGS-OUT-ZAP-SOME-GOBLINS/HOUSE ELVES/WHATEVER’S HANDY annoyed. That also means he’s going to turn up at Hogwarts and probably protect his Horcrux there even more securely.

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            Harry has to get there first. They Apparate into Hogsmeade, where they discover the Death Eaters have the whole place under their control. They’re nearly captured but rescued by Aberforth Dumbledore, Dumbledore’s brother!

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            Aberforth protests their fighting Voldemort and all, telling them Dumbledore’s full backstory in the process, but eventually lets them into Hogwarts via a passageway to the Room of Requirement.

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            There they meet Neville, Luna, Ginny, and some other old friends, including Cho Chang which makes things a little awkward. But eventually they sort things out and Luna takes Harry to the Ravenclaw dormitory to see a model of what Harry thinks is the Hogwarts Horcrux-Rowena Ravenclaw’s long-lost diadem.

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            While there a Death Eater attacks, is Stunned by Luna, and the Death Eater and her brother are tied up by Professor McGonagall, who decides to support Harry and fight Voldemort. A little later we meet Snape, who duels Professor McGonagall and escapes, presumably to join Voldemort, who by the way is on his way to Hogwarts RIGHT NOW!!!!

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            Luckily, no one decides to run and scream their lungs out. Unluckily, Voldemort is aware of what is going on and prepares to take over Hogwarts. The Order of the Phoenix joins in and the battle begins.

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            Meanwhile, Harry finds Ron and Hermione. Somehow they managed to get into the Chamber of Secrets, get a basilisk fang, and destroy the cup Horcrux, sharing their first KISS (YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!) in the process. Now they’ve just got to figure out how to get the diadem.

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            Luckily, Harry gets a brainwave and comes up with the answer: it’s in the Room of Requirement! Unluckily, Draco Malfoy and his henchmen Crabbe and Goyle follow him there. Crabbe, who seems to be a bit rebellious lately, sets a Fiendfyre curse going, and the trio, Draco, and Goyle barely manage to get out. Luckily, the fire destroys the Horcrux. Unluckily, Crabbe dies in the blaze.

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            And the tearjerking only starts there. It quick succession three people we never thought would die do just that. I’m not saying who, but it’s pretty major.

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            All this has Harry close to despair. Only heightening the drama is Professor Snape’s death at the hands of Voldemort. But before he dies, he gives Harry a memory. Harry heads up to Dumbledore’s office. He finds out from the memory that-surprise!!!-Dumbledore had planned his death with Snape, so Snape never truly won the Elder Wand from Dumbledore-and thereby, neither did Voldemort! Actually, Draco did-remember, he’d Disarmed Dumbledore right before Snape killed him. So technically it was Draco-and remember, Harry took Draco’s wand at Malfoy Manor, so now-dun dun doww!!-the Elder Wand is Harry’s! Yeah, confusing, I know. But really, are there any good books that aren’t?

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            But even bigger than that is the revelation-Harry’s a Horcrux!

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            Yep, you heard me right. Harry has a bit of Voldemort’s soul living in him. This explains how Harry got Parseltongue, and all those times he read Voldemort’s mind, and how his scar would hurt whenever Voldemort was really angry, really happy, or really close.

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            Unfortunately, it also means that Harry has to die if anyone’s to beat Voldemort.

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            So he does.

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            AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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            Now, don’t everyone go running and screaming in panic. Harry doesn’t die. He almost dies, which is another matter entirely.

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            He survives, again, due to a serious lapse of good sense on Voldemort’s part. Remember when Voldemort took Harry’s blood to revive himself way back in Goblet of Fire? Well, that’s what saves Harry now. When he took Harry’s blood, Voldemort bound them both to life while the other lived. In other words, Voldemort can’t kill Harry, and vice versa. Not for long, though!

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            And plus, Voldemort just unknowingly destroyed the piece of his soul that was in Harry, so there’s only one Horcrux left-nasty old Nagini.

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            She’s soon taken care of by everyone’s favorite cheer-on-able hero, Neville, leaving Harry and Voldemort in the final showdown. Who will win?! Will Harry win, and save the whole world, wizards and Muggles alike? Or will the former-super-cute Tom Riddle turned Voldemort win and take over the world?!

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            I’m not saying, but it should be obvious if you’ve been paying attention.

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            Well, that’s it everyone! I have now reviewed the whole Harry Potter series! I think I did an OK job, but it’s nothing at all like the actual book, so I recommend you go read the whole series. It’s been really fun reviewing these, and I hope you enjoyed it. Sadly the series is now at an end: all the books and movies have been released. But it’s been great! Now go read some more, and I’ll be back with more great reviews! Until then, happy hippogriffs to you! 

More of Kimber Jr's Top Ten HARRY POTTER Stuff

Kimber An here: This is excellent feedback on why readers like certain characters.
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My Top Ten favorite Harry Potter characters
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1.      Luna Lovegood-because she is AWESOMENESS ITSELF!!!! I like her because she has imagination and believes in things she can’t see, and she’s a very good character. She also knows how to stand up for herself! ;)

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2.      Hermione Granger-because she is among the greatest heroines of all time!!!!! She’s cool because she’s a bit of a know-it-all but that’s a good thing because she’s able to help Harry with the hunt for the Horcruxes. She’s also not afraid to punch bullies like Malfoy! She’s a really good friend and is always there for Harry and Ron and she’s just truly brilliant! And plus-she has a really good sense of timing! ;)

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3.      Ginny Weasley-because she is a true Gryffindor!!!!! I’m pretty sure a lot of people just think of her as Harry’s love interest. NOT TRUE!! Yes, she likes Harry. And Harry likes her. And they kiss like four times-holding the record for most kisses between the same two characters in Harry Potter-but she’s so much more!!! Hey, she dueled Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, not to mention took part in the Battle of Hogwarts!! She grew a lot from the timid first-year who was possessed by Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Now its clear-she’s a true Gryffindor!

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4.      Harry Potter-because he is a truly realistic protagonist!!!! Now Harry is the person who generally comes to mind when you think of Harry Potter-for obvious reasons. He is like the greatest protagonist ever, just because of the way he grows from book to book. When he’s eleven, he acts like an eleven-year-old. When he’s fifteen, he acts like a fifteen-year-old. And when he’s seventeen, he acts like a seventeen-year-old. He’s also the type of hero you care about. He’s not some random guy running around zapping this other bald guy for no apparent reason. He’s a boy who lost his parents to a very evil wizard and wants to avenge them and everyone else who’s lost their lives to Voldemort. You really care about him and let me tell you that really comes into play in the last part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All in all, just a truly great character!!

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5.      Ron Weasley-because he is a very good friend to Harry!!!! Ron can be a confusing character. He’s often insensitive and sometimes a bit unkind, but he’s really a very loyal friend to Harry and Hermione. He’s also prone to jealousy, but in the end shows himself as a true Gryffindor, fighting alongside Harry in pretty much every major battle he’s in. Not to mention he, like Hermione, has a very good sense of timing!! ;)

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6.      Mrs. Weasley-because she’s the one who zapped Bellatrix!!!!! Of course, that one act pretty much seals her place in my top ten, because I absolutely hate Bellatrix. But more than that, she acts as a mother figure to Harry, whose mother was killed by Voldemort. She’s very caring and can be very fierce-as she demonstrated when she zapped Bellatrix-when those she loves are in danger.

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7.      Bellatrix Lestrange-because she was bad, but she was very, very good at it!!! Honestly, even I have to admit she was a really good villainess, possibly second only to Cruella DeVil. In fact I’d say she’s my all-time favorite villain, Harry Potter or not.  I would say she even beats out Voldemort in terms of true evilness, but I don’t think so. They’re about equal in terms of true evil, and after all that’s what being a villain’s all about.

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8.      Fred & George Weasley-because they are the main sources of comic relief, yet still manage to be true heroes!!!! These twins are two of the funniest characters I’ve ever encountered in books in general, and yet they still manage to pull off the whole hero routine, and do it well. Not to mention they got revenge on Professor Umbridge, who in my opinion is second in nastiness only to Bellatrix and Voldemort themselves! Truly awesome!!!

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9.      Neville Longbottom-because he is a true unsung hero!!!!! Truth be told, he’s not the type you’d expect to become a hero-though then, neither is Luna. But boy does he become one in the end!!!! He’s the one who defeated Nagini, the last remaining Horcrux, with the sword of Gryffindor. I’m going to say right now, they expanded his role quite a bit in the movie of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and I love how they did it. It’s absolutely magnificent, and if you didn’t think Neville was a true hero yet, you would now!!

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10.   Severus Snape-because he is a truly dynamic, tragic character!!!! Surprised? Don’t be. He is a surprisingly dynamic character. In the first few books he’s just basically a big bully to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. In Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, you learn more about him, including his backstory. Honestly, before I saw the movie, I never thought I’d get that emotional over Snape. He’s just not the type you have much sympathy for-until the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Pt. 2). Then, just when you start thinking “OK, Snape’s a definite villain ‘cause he killed Dumbledore and pretty much took over Hogwarts, oh, and not to mention he’s a Death Eater,” BOOM!! That whole thing just positively shatters and you really get to see what a tragic life Professor Snape had. You’d never have thought it, but he is a true hero and deserves his place on my list.

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My Favorite Harry Potter Book & Movie:

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Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-just because it’s when you see everything completed and it all makes sense.

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Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2-it’s just magnificent and emotional and everything else a truly great movie should be. Hands down my favorite Harry Potter movie. 

Top Ten Favorite HARRY POTTER Moments

In celebration of the last Harry Potter movie, my daughter compiled several lists of favorites.  Besides being fun, I think it's helpful to us writers to see what appeals to readers. 
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Movie Only: this scene is only in the movie, not the book

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BaM: this scene is in both the book and the movie

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1.      Harry and Hermione’s dance-movie only, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

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2.      Dumbledore’s Farewell-BaM (but they’re very different), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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3.      Ron and Hermione say Goodbye-movie only, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2

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4.      Hermione Punches Malfoy-BaM, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  Clip on YouTube

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5.      Ron & Hermione’s Kiss-BaM, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Pt. 2)

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6.      Harry & Ginny’s Kiss-BaM, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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7.      Harry & Ginny’s Kiss-BaM, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (pt. 1)

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8.      Harry & Ginny’s Kiss-movie only, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

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9.      Harry & Cho’s Kiss-BaM, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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10.   Mrs. Weasley Zaps Bellatrix Lestrange-BaM, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (pt.2)

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU B***!"

Of course, this IS a personal favorite of MAMA BEARS like me the world over!

CRUSHED SUGAR, a Prequel Novella by Kimber An, Reviewed by Kimber Jr.

What, another one?! Yeah, there’s another! Actually, technically it’s a prequel, and a novella one at that, so don’t expect anything huge. But it’s a back story, and who doesn’t love those?! Here we go!!

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The story opens with-who else?-Ophelia. She’s with Bianca in a restaurant when she runs into the local I’m-the-Alpha-Male-and-I-Know-It Martin Brynner, whom she’s had a crush on for the past seven years.
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But is Martin really all he seems? On the outside, he’s a cute if embarrassing guy. But the next day, the first day of school…..he changes. All of a sudden, he’s after Ophelia like a dog after a hot dog that’s just rolled off the grill. Sinister? Maybe. But for the moment Ophelia just wants to enjoy having the most popular dude in school for a boyfriend.
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And yet….Ophelia can’t help thinking otherwise when she meets Adrian Grayer, a supposed-gay guy with the griffin as his symbol and very cute blond hair. Then there’s Tristan, a black-haired guy with attitude and a fondness for Star Trek.
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Sound like your average love-triangle-romance? It’s not.
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When Ophelia finds Adrian with a broken hand, she immediately gets her mom to heal him, and then looks him up on her medical files. But according to them, he lives in a place with no house! What’s up with that?
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Of course, this isn’t totally a romance…..it’s also a comedy!! Everybody’s favorite Goth jokesters the Goth Girls are back and having a good laugh at Katelyn’s expense. When technogeek Ophelia rigs Katelyn’s food processor, she immediately wins the respect of the Goth Girls…..with a little hilarity along the way!!
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But then she gets her mind mysteriously wiped of (&F((censored for suspense))*()*** leaving her wide open to the increasingly-sinister advances of the world’s worst jerk boyfriend, Martin.
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And, that’s it! If you want the rest of the answers, you’ll have to actually READ the BOOK!!! See ya later!
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Kimber An here.  Thank you, My Baby Girl!  Momma wuv u so much!  To learn more about CRUSHED SUGAR, pop over to my main site-   About CRUSHED SUGAR
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CRUSHED SUGAR will be released on March 25th from Decadent Publishing.  If you've read SUGAR RUSH, please remember this is a *prequel.*  This means it takes place BEFORE the start of the events in Sugar Rush.  Martin starts the story fully human and has always been nice to Ophelia.  She doesn't know he's the Villain yet.
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Stay tuned for further developments as Release Day approaches!

Kimber Jr's Review of SUGAR RUSH by Kimber An, plus an Excerpt from the Story

***Decadent surprised me and released SUGAR RUSH early!  Here's the link-   SUGAR RUSH at Decadent Publishing  ***
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Yep, it’s finally time for this fabulous book to come out! Of course, I’ve already read it, obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this. But seriously, I did love this book. My job is to tell you why, so settle down and strap in, ‘cause Sugar Rush is heading your way!!!

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The story opens with Ophelia, the main character, getting mauled by the ultimate jerk ex-boyfriend, Martin Brynner (did I mention he’s a jerk?) Luckily, though, someone throws a rock and hits Martin in the side of the head and frightens him off, good riddance!
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Then we meet the rest of the supporting cast-Bianca, Ophelia’s hilarious twin sister, Worf the husky, and Ophelia’s mom Mrs. Dawson.
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We also find out Bianca’s obsessed with making dresses. She’s currently preparing hers and Ophelia’s for the high school party that night.
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That night, we find out just who threw that rock at Martin- none other than Ophelia’s currently anonymous “Sweet Wesley”. But when she collapses in the bathroom from lack of insulin (did I mention she was diabetic? It’s kind of crucial to the story, you know…..) we encounter an undercurrent of tension between Martin and another guy whose name you’ll figure out in about two seconds.
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Adrian Grayer. He’s the one who’s been fending off Martin. He’s the one who’s been leaving all those drawings and Star Trek trinkets in Ophelia’s locker. He’s also the one who’s Ophelia’s Secret Admirer……
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Some fun facts about Adrian: he likes birds, especially raptors. And his symbol is the griffin, a half-eagle, half-lion mythological creature that is very loyal and will fight to protect its mate (or whatever else it might be guarding) to the death. What this implies, I’ll leave up to you. However, I have some definite ideas…..
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If one of your ideas was “he likes rehabilitating eagles” you’d be right! In fact, that’s where we catch up with him and Ophelia next, checking out some beautiful bald eagles that were released into the wild. Of course, Martin has to come and interrupt (what is it with bad guys interrupting kissing scenes?!), but luckily Bianca covers for her and he leaves. I’d better not say what’s next, though, or the boys might get angry and leave, and we don’t want that. But girls, I think you can figure it out.
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In the meantime, we meet Raven, an ultra-intelligent raven with strange blue eyes. Is he important? Well, you could say that……
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But before we can figure out just how, Ophelia’s dad finds out about her and Adrian, starts to throw a major hissy fit, finds out Worf approves, trusts the dog, and drives off. A few days later, Ophelia’s mom finds him………in a ditch, dead. And drained of all his blood. Now, what sort of creature would do something like that? Hmmm…….
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However, all curiousness aside, it is a major All Is Lost moment. Ophelia’s father is dead, and, according to Adrian and newcomer Brandon Kelly, he was murdered. By vampires.
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Yeah. Really.
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(((Kimber An here- "They're not vampires. They're alien-human hybrids!"
(((Kimber Jr. here-  "Hey, if it sucks blood..."
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Well, as always, life goes on. The next thing we know, Ophelia’s heading off to a New Year’s party. Things aren’t looking good then-it seems the Adrian’s run off with Katelyn, local bossyboots and complete jerk. Ophelia, however, has a few tricks up her sleeve…….
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But more sinister things are hanging over the party. Martin nearly runs Trevor off the road just because he tried to help Ophelia and it looked……awkward. Why is Martin so possessive of Ophelia? Is it just because he’s the ultimate jerk ex-boyfriend, or is there another, more sinister reason?
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Sorry, Folks, but that’s all I’m allowed to say. However, I would like to say a bit more about Brandon. Well, he’s a shapeshifter, and, as a matter of fact, he’s Raven, remember him? That’s why he had those strange blue eyes. He also loves Nintendo DS, Ophelia, and moose meat……….
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Once again, I’m at the end of my rope. However, a little birdie (it looked an awful lot like a raven…..)Told me it’s out, so if you want more I suggest to hop over and get the e-book. Until then, VAMPIRES RULE!!!!!
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(((Kimber An- "ALIEN/HUMAN HYBRIDS!")))
(((Kimber Jr- "Hey, none of the other authors I've reviewed yelled at me!")))
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P.S All I can say is, thank goodness this book is published because the author was driving me crazy by singing “Sugar Rush” by the A-Teens all day for months. It wasn’t even on-key! Arrrrrrgh!!!
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***EXCERPT from SUGAR RUSH***
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Ophelia pressed pencil to paper and the lead broke. She sighed.

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“You all right?” Adrian Grayer sat next to her in nearly every class.
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“Fine.” She didn’t look at him, but leaned over and dug into her backpack for another pencil. Too bad he doesn’t like girls.
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All the while, her mind raced, trying to figure out which of the others her ‘Sweet Wesley’ could be. Josh Taylor has full lips, so he can’t be the one. I know my secret admirer’s lips very well now. They’re pouty and cute, like he needs a chocolate chip cookie. She always kept three perfectly sharpened pencils and three Sharpy pens in her backpack, but came up empty.
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Straightening in her seat, she eyed the electric pencil sharpener on the teacher’s barren desk. She did not want to walk up. The guys would all look at her and she didn’t know which one was her secret admirer.
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“You can borrow mine.” Adrian offered his mechanical pencil, left-handed.
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“Thanks.” She glanced his way just enough to see his sunny blond hair. When he leaned over to give her the pencil, she caught his scent too, the scent of birch trees in the winter. I love birch trees. She’d overheard him talking about helping at the nature center, rehabilitating eagles back into the wild.
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Wait, that’s familiar somehow. She drew breath through her nose again. Very familiar.
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His gold ring glinted in the lights as he placed the pencil above her book on the desk. A signet ring, its flat face was etched with the image of a creature, half lion and half eagle.
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“Griffin!” Ophelia couldn't stop the gasp. "Oh, my!” She stared at the ring, and then looked into his stormy blue eyes, and then his pouty lips.
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Adrian blushed deep red.
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"You really are the one!”
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"Does that mean you wanted…"
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“But, you’re gay.” Ophelia’s voice squeaked just a little.
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He pressed lips together and shook his head slightly.
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Ophelia’s mouth dropped and she didn’t even try to stop it. Her face burned and she hid behind her textbook, certain the entire class could hear her heart pound. He’s been sitting right next to me for four months! Geez, I’m an idiot! She peeked at him around the edge of her book and knew it was true. He’s gorgeous!

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole "The Capture" by Kathryn Lasky

Here's the link to the movie trailer-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lMihSKkgA
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Countdown to Legends of Ga’Hoole: Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 1: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

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WHOOOO----HOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about an awesome year for kid’s book movies!!!! First Percy Jackson, then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and now this!!!! And it comes out this month!!!
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Okay, so I’m doing sort of the same thing that I am for the Deathly Hallows: reviewing the books! Now I’m betting that they’re going the merge the first six or so into one movie, so that’s what I’m gonna do: review the first six! And no complaints if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am, ‘cause I have concrete evidence: they show the bad guy in the preview, and he really doesn’t show up till the end of the third book!!
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So here we go, and see you at the movie!
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The story opens with our hero, Soren the Barn Owl, watching as his new baby sister Eglantine hatches. Nearby are his mother and father, his slightly sinister older brother Kludd, and his family’s nest-maid snake, Mrs. Plithiver. Soon, Eglantine is out of her egg and eating her first bug. Ahh, the joys of a happy family.
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But soon that is ruined for Soren when he falls out of the nest! Mrs. Plithiver tries to get help, but before she can, Soren is swept away by a mysterious owl to an equally mysterious stone labyrinth.
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Soon, we find out that the labyrinth is called St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, though it’s better known as St. Aggie’s. There Soren meets a new friend: Gylfie the Elf Owl, and finds out the strictest rule at St. Aggie’s-no questions! That’s right, no questions! Yikes!
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Between them, Soren and Gylfie figure out what’s going on at St. Aggie’s-they’re brainwashers! Using a combination of giving them a number instead of a name, something called moon blinking and repeating their old names over and over and over so it becomes just another sound, they’re slowly turning all the owlets-including Soren and Gylfie!-into brainless zombies!
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Luckily, they manage to find ways around their efforts-for example, they start saying their number instead of their name and staying in one place during the sleep marches so that they stay away from the moon’s glare, they manage to keep their brains unwashed. But the question is, how long can they keep this up? They desperately need to escape.
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But there’s one problem.: the only way out is to fly out. And neither Soren nor Gylfie are ready to fly.
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Yeah. Really.
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So in the meantime the unlikely duo decides to investigate just what St. Aggie’s is really up to. So Gylfie gets the twosome positions in the pelletorium, where owls peck apart the small pellets that all owls throw up (or yarp, as the owls in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole universe say). But why? Soren eventually finds out that they’re looking for flecks-tiny pieces of metal embedded in pellet that have many magnetic qualities. But why are Skench and Spoorn, the two head owls here at St. Aggie’s, after the flecks?
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Not long after, the two are promoted to work in the eggorium, where snatched eggs from all over the owl world are sorted and given to broodies, who sit the eggs until they hatch. Soren sorts the Barn Owl eggs, and Gylfie the Elf Owl eggs. But they aren’t figuring anything out.
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Soon, Soren meets an owl named Hortense, or number 12-8. She’s a broody, like Soren is at that point. Her nest is located high up, overlooking the canyon-a perfect place for Soren and Gylfie’s first flight. But more than that, Hortense turns out to be un-moon blinked, like them! See, she was born near a river that had lots of flecks in it, and it gave her a peculiar resistance to moon blinking. Now she’s living at St. Aggie’s, but is she really all she seems? Not by a long shot, as Gylfie discovers one night. She’s actually an infiltrator, smuggling away the very eggs she keeps warm by giving them to a large bald eagle that comes every so often to take eggs.
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Hortense agrees to let them meet the bald eagle but, that very night, they are discovered! Aunt Finny, a pit guardian, and Skench and Spoorn try to take the egg back, but in the ensuing fight Hortense is shoved off the edge by none other than Finny, who we thought was rather nice but now we know as a person who really hates children! (I think she’d probably get along well with Professor Umbridge!)
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Well, overall, things aren’t going well. They get worse when Soren and Gylfie see what happens to pretty much all the flight-age owls at St’s Aggie’s-they get bitten by vampires! And they aren’t even the awesomely-cute Twilight type! (Aw, man!!) They’re actually vampire bats, and what they do is take out the vital supply of blood that helps the owls’ flight feathers grow. No blood, no growth, no flight, no escape.
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And the bats always come at the new moon. (Hmmmm. Does that ring a bell or is it just me?) Soren and Gylfie have to get out of here before then or they can kiss any hopes of escape good-bye.
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The truth is, Gylfie has some suspicions about one of Skench and Spoorn’s top lieutenants, Grimble. So they go and talk to him and discover he isn’t moon blinked, either! He’s been resisting it too, all these years since he was taken, as an adult owl, to St. Aggie’s. He’s astonished that Soren and Gylfie have discovered a way to resist it. Luckily, though, he agrees to help Soren and Gylfie learn how to fly.
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Well before the next new moon, Soren and Gylfie are ready. Grimble says he’ll arrange it so they can take off from the library, which is the highest point in St. Aggie’s besides where Hortense’s nest was. But then, somehow, they are discovered! Skench bursts in with full armor and battle claws on. But somehow, she is pulled back and slams into the walls, giving Soren and Gylfie just enough time to get on the wing and escape St. Aggie’s at last!
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They fly through the night, until they are far away from the stone walls and seriously non-cute vampires of St. Aggie’s. But still, they don’t have anywhere to go to. They try Soren’s hollow, but when they get there, Soren’s parents are gone, and with them Eglantine and even Soren’s slightly sinister brother Kludd. Now what are they to do?
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Soon after, they meet their new friend Twilight, a huge Great Gray, who was snatched at birth by St. Aggie’s but somehow managed to escape and has lived on his own ever since. The trio decides to head to Kuneer to see if they can find Gylfie’s family. There they meet Digger, a Burrowing Owl whose family was discovered and snatched by-yes, and again-St. Aggie’s. But when the four owls are attacked by two huge Long-Eared Owls, Jatt and Jutt, will they be able to fight them off? Will Soren ever see his family again? And will the four owls-now known as the Band-ever reach that group of noble owls, the Guardians of Ga’Hoole?
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Sorry, but I really don’t want to give it away, so you’ll just have to wait for the next review. But I will say that it should be pretty soon. I want to get the first six done before the movie’s release on the 24th. That means I’ll have to do a few a week. Any complaints? Good. Next up is number two, The Journey. I’d look for it this weekend, OK? Good. Until then, see you at the movie!