Customer Reviews

The Silver Moon Elm (Jennifer Scales, Book 3)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Jennifer Scales series is contracted for 4 books, which is a good thing as the ending of The Silver Moon Elm (Book 3) opens up a host of plot arcs that beg for a resolution (in a good way).

That said, while I enjoyed this 3rd installment of Jennifer's story, I also found that I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books. Part of this is unavoidable as the book is somewhat more grim than the previous books, despite the presence of Jennifer's snarky humor. Issues of love, friendship, loyalty, family, death, betrayal, and more are raised, and for the most part, dealt with fairly well. On the other hand, Jennifer's whining was annoying in several instances, which, admittedly, is typical of kids (and adults), as was her dealings with her friends, ranging from loyalty to insensitivity.

Another great read from the writing team of Alongi & Davidson (Alongi). Jennifer is a great character who is real. Not someone's idea of what a teenager is or what they remember being a teenager was like. Of course you can't really know how a teenager would react to were-arachnids, were-dragons, alternate realities and the genocidal rampages of a team of psycho freaks out to destroy you and everyone you love. Oh, have I said to much? I really loved this book. It was clever, well written and had a great balance of excitement and humor. This is not just a "teen" book. It's a great fantasy book about a teen. I think Harry Potter has shown people that just because the main character is under 18 that doesn't mean that nobody above that age would enjoy it. Don't pass this by.

If you liked the first 2 books, you'll like this one. There's a point where the story gets a bit too weird (even for a weredragon story) but all, in all it's a good book. Parts are quite riveting.

when i started reading this i couldnt put it down its a great read for all ages

Jennifer Scales had the shock of her life when she discovered that she wasn't truly human. She found out who she really was right when she began to morph, which was perfect timing for her parents to tell her how she is beaststalker and weredragon. To make matters even worse, both the halves that make up Jennifer are at odds with each other.

Jennifer wants all sides to have peace with one another, and her trip to Crescent Valley shows this. Bringing along a human, Susan, her best friend who she finally revealed her secret to, another weredragon, a beaststalker, her friend, Eddie, and a werachnid, her ex-boyfriend Skip, Jennifer really does hope that things will go peacefully.

If Eddie and Skip can survive their fight with one another and her parents can get along, then anything can happen.

There at Crescent Valley is Xavier Longtail, a respected dragon who didn't fully support Jennifer when she was being chosen as ambassador, only because he doesn't believe beaststalkers and weredragons can live among one another.

Before she knows it, Jennifer is slowly influenced by Xavier's words, but not for too long. Soon after, an epic battle erupts, and the weredragons biggest threat, the werarchnids, have a huge advantage over them. Saved by a necklace given to her by her ex, Skip, Jennifer is left with Xavier, her family gone. This means that they both need to find common ground to save the weredragons and to save Jennifer's friends and family.

Will the idea of peace be totally obliterated or can it still have a meaning?

A wonderful third installment to the already imaginative series, THE SILVER MOON ELM continues Jennifer's journey of acceptance with even more obstacles to face. Jennifer becomes a stronger character and more history of all the species' is revealed. Detailed and intricate, MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi do not disappoint their readers.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

This is the third Jennifer Scales book I have read in as many weeks. Davidson's writing is, as always, strong on character. I enjoy the characters in these books, particularly how the most admirable have quirks and often very dark back stories.
Sometimes the actions of our hero are so conta-indicated that I have to wonder if this team writing is really the best idea. Perhaps one of our writers needs to say to the other that this action is not consistent with previous thoughts or actions in the past or the past books.
I am quibbling because in this sort of books we are carried along by lots of action & teen angst. And - this book has lots of both.
Jennifer Scales is a good creation by Davidson. I read all but the last Betsy the Vampire books before growing tired. I expect I will follow Jennifer through another three books before tiring.

Mary and Tony have delivered an excellent conclusion for fans of the Jennifer Scales series. Even when you are frustrated by her teenage reactions to things, you realize it's exactly what the story needs. A good read for those who enjoy strong girl characters, a little teen romance and a lot of action and adventure.

High school student Jennifer Scales knows how tough a mixed racial heritage can be on a teen. On her maternal side, Jennifer descends from powerful beaststalkers; on her paternal side, she comes from powerful were-dragons. That blending would prove difficult for anyone in spite of the obvious love between her parents, but beaststalkers have always hunted were-dragons and were-dragons have always attacked beaststalkers.

Jennifer wishes everyone would learn to get along. With that in mind she visits her father's clan only to have Xavier Longtail the elder dragon informs her that she is crazy going against the natural order of life and death. Her former boyfriend Skip the were-arachnid gives her a necklace and takes her to a movie where she dozes. Afterward, she finds her family vanished with no record of their existence as the were-arachnid mages cast an eradication spell; she lives because the necklace caused the spell to skip her. Jennifer needs to restore the old order before the new order finds her.

This terrific dark teen fantasy scales stratospheric heights with an exciting story line that takes a deep look at mixed racial couples and their biracial offspring. Unlike Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light in which the heroine plays Nancy Drew in fantasyland, THE SILVER MOON ELM is a pure fantasy quest as Jennifer is at her best risking her life to bring back her non-existent loved ones.

Harriet Klausner

I loved the first two installments in the Jennifer Scales series. I was eager to read this one and excited to find that it seemed a little longer than the previous two. In "The Silver Moon Elm", Jennifer is trying to encourage alliances between the dragons and the beaststalkers. She finds out some things in her parents past that aren't pleasant and could affect some of her current relationships. Suddenly the world as she knows it has been changed. Jennifer and Skip find themeselves in an alternative universe where the Arachnids have destroyed nearly every dragon and beaststalker. Jennifer learns that most of her family and friends are dead and others never existed. She finds an unlikely ally in Xavier Longtail, the elder dragon who never seemed to find much redeemable in Jennifer before. But this alternative universe Xavier is eager to meet the Ancient Furnace and is more than happy to join her on a quest to reclaim the world as they knew it. While I enjoyed the relationship between Jennifer and Xavier, and also enjoyed seeing some regular characters in this odd universe, I felt like this volume was just missing something. The story just felt off, different from the other Jennifer Scales books. From the get go you know that this can't really be the end of Jennifer's parents...you know basically how the story will end. I'm not sure Jennifer got anything from this story that will make any difference in the following stories. For all the different sides to people the Jennifer gets a glimpse of, it doesn't really change anything. "Silver Moon Elm" floats from page to page in a myriad of different tones. There are humourous scenes, sad scenes, angry scenes...even tragic scenes, in a sense. Yet overall, this book really didn't deliver. I found it took far too long to read, which in my way of thinking, means that the story isn't nearly interesting enough. I think if the casual reader was to read this series and skip book 3, they wouldn't miss anything of importance. I am going to read book 4 when it comes out soon, but I do hope it will be stronger than this one.