Trial By Fire

I was first drawn to Trial By Fire because I liked the author's first trilogy so much (Starcrossed).  I didn't even know what it was about when I picked it up to read.  That didn't matter though.  The author has a way of drawing you into the story and hooking you from the very start.  Full of action, there was never a dull moment.

This story follows Lily, a girl weak of body but strong of mind.  She is practically allergic to the world.  All she sees of her future is the eventual isolation in a plastic bubble.  When her heart is broken, she succumbs to a voice in her head asking her to come with her.  Before she knows what's happening, Lily is sucked into a world different from her own.  This world is filled with magic.  The version of herself that belongs in that world is the most powerful witch in all the Covens.  All Lily wants is to go home, but Lillian has no intention of sending her back.  Lily flees the Citadel and runs across Rowan, former lover, current enemy to Lillian.  After some cajoling, Rowan begins to train Lily on how to use magic, for she has the same power Lillian possesses.

The question is, can she progress enough in her training before it is too late?  Can she find her way back to her own world?  Does she still want to go back?  This book is filled with great characters.  I just loved Lily.  Despite being thrust into a foreign and scary world, she is able to persevere.  She makes friends, learns to control her own power, and stands up for what she believes.  She is the kind of character you can get behind and find yourself cheering on at every turn.  Rowan is another character I really enjoyed.  Powerful in his own right, Rowan is distrustful and hesitant to let another Lily into his life in any form.  He is always on guard, but will ultimately do anything to protect Lily.  The two make a great pair/team.  I am definitely excited to see where their story goes.  This is a strong start to another promising series from Josephine Angelini.  I only wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next book.  Happy reading!

A Library Book for Bear

I have talked about this series before, but it is still one of my favorites and a new one recently came out (July).  In A Library Book for Bear, our ever loving grouchy friend, Bear, is once again resistant to change.  His always optimistic and never deterred best friend, Mouse, is taking him to the library whether he likes it or not.  Bear of course thinks he already has enough books, 6, at home, covering all the topics he could possibly ever want.  A promise is a promise though, so Bear heads to the library with mouse.  He immediately thinks there are too many books.  Mouse brings him books about all kinds of topics, but Bear is only interested in finding a book about pickles.  Bear's grumblings turn into yelling, disturbing every library patron and drawing the attention of the librarian holding story time and all her rapt listeners.  Coaxed into joining the story, Bear is delighted to hear the book is about a Bear and treasure chest filled with pickles.    By the time the friends head home, Bear has seven new books on a variety of topics and a huge smile plastered to his face.  Once again, Mouse shows Bear that new things are not always bad.

This book is not as good as the others in the series, but I like it for two reasons.  First, it encourages cultivating a love of books, libraries, learning and reading.  I love books that encourage kids to expand their minds and learn new things.  I always love books that encourage reading.  Second, it introduces Bear's interest in pickles.  Since my daughter's nickname is Pickle, I always love it when I discover a book that talks about pickles.  She, of course, likes it too.  Bear and Mouse are always fun characters.  Give this new volume a try.  Happy reading!

Four

For all you Divergent fans out there, Four is a must read!  It is a collection of novellas about everyone's (mostly) favorite character.  I always loved Four/Tobias in all the books and was excited to get a deeper look into his head and learn more about his past.  If you haven't read the Divergent trilogy yet, this post and the book itself contains spoilers.  So, if you intend to read/finish the trilogy, do so before reading on.

In the first story (The Transfer), we learn about Tobias' aptitude test, his Choosing Ceremony and his transfer to Dauntless.  In the second story (The Initiate), we are right there with Tobias as he meets Eric for the first time, gains his nickname, and wades through the initiation process before becoming a full-fledged member of Dauntless.  The third story (The Son), takes us through the failed recruitment of Four into Dauntless leadership, his discovery of the connection between Erudite and Dauntless leaders, and the discovery that his mother is still alive.  The final story (The Traitor) takes place during Four's second year as an instructor (the year Tris is an initiate).  Some of the events are the same as those in Divergent, only from Four's point of view.  It tells of his growing attraction to Tris, his uncertainty about what to do with the knowledge of the upcoming attack on Abnegation, and his developing realization that he doesn't really belong in Dauntless.

There are also a couple scenes thrown in from Divergent, retold from Four's point of view.  It was very interesting to see Tris through Four's eyes.  We hear from him in Allegiant, but his character is very different in the beginning, as well as his relationship with Tris.  I really enjoyed seeing that initiation process through his eyes.  All four novellas, as well as the bonus scenes, where quite enjoyable.  It has been a long time since I immersed myself in the world Veronica Roth created, and I rather liked going back there.  The books are all good, so if you liked them (even if you only liked the first book), these stories are definitely worth reading.  I just love the character of Four, so getting to know him better was awesome.  Happy reading!

Jasper Dent

This trilogy follows Jasper Dent, son of the most famous serial killer of all time.  His father Billy was finally arrested after 123 kills.  Jasper was raised by him to be his successor.  As the protege to a crazed sociopath, Jasper grew up with lessons on how to kill, torture, mutilate, as well as clean up a crime scene to ensure no evidence is left behind.  There were lots more lessons that Jasper can't get out of his head.  Billy's voice is always there, egging him on, telling him to kill.  All Jasper wants is to be normal, but he will never have that.  As Billy says, "You're a killer who hasn't killed yet."  Jasper is in constant fear that Billy is right.  He is determined to overcome his upbringing and his genetics, but isn't sure it is even possible.  He does what he can to keep himself from turning into another sociopath.  He befriends the weakest boy in town, Howie, a hemophiliac.  He makes sure that Howie is by his side whenever he is doing anything that toes the line.  He starts dating Connie, a black girl, because she is safe.  Billy never killed a black woman.  He keeps these two close, and they in turn are determined to keep him from becoming Billy.  He helps the police by pointing out things in crime scenes they may have missed.  After all, he has a serial killer in his head and knows how they think.  He helps the cops track down other serial killers, and gets sucked into their sick games.  The series is dark, twisted, and gruesome, a psychological roller coaster ride.  It is about serial killers, so couldn't really be anything else.  The characters are great and the intensity of the story just sucks you right in.  You can't help but cheer for Jasper as he struggles to stay on the right side of the line.  All he really wants is to put an end to Billy once and for all.  He is prepared to kill him if need be.  These books are very good.  The writing is excellent and the pacing keeps you up at night.  Like I said earlier, they are quite gruesome and intense.  You feel like you are right in there with Jasper and crew as the serial killers play with them and taunt them.  It is enough to give you nightmares, if this kind of stuff does that to you.  For me, I have a sick fascination with it.  I love Dateline and 48 Mysteries, etc.  Crime Dramas are my favorite TV shows.  This is right up my alley.  I loved every second of it.  Give it a try, if you dare.  Book three, Blood of my Blood, is set to release next week on Tuesday (9/9).  Happy reading!

The Miss Nelson Collection

A month of so ago when I saw that all three Miss Nelson books were available in one Hardback collection, I was overjoyed.  I prefer my picture books to be hardcovers, they just last longer.  So now I can have all three of these great stories in one volume.  Even better, the list price is only $12.95.  This is starting to sound like the shopping network, so I'll move on now.

These books have been around forever, longer than I've been alive.  That is a lot of kids who have had the opportunity to be introduced to the foibles of misbehaving in class.  My favorite will always be the first book, Miss Nelson is Missing.  We all fear teachers like Miss Swamp, but the kids today need a little whipping into shape, if you ask me.  The fun illustrations help tell the stories of Miss Nelson's elementary class, and the football team.  Since every school class has at least one naughty kid, usually more than that, this book is the perfect book to remind teachers that turning an out of control classroom around is a possibility.  I love to recommend these stories during back to school time.  I think every teacher, not to mention family, should have this in their collection.  If you don't want all three, definitely pick up the original story and add it to your library today.  Happy reading!

I Survived

This is a series I have been curious about for awhile now.  I've had lots of kids come into my store asking for these books.  Pompeii is the newest installment.  I believe it just came out this week.  They don't have to be read in order (this is book #10) because each title takes place in a different historical period with different characters.  I rather enjoyed this book.  I think this series would be great for reluctant readers.  They are short, barely over 100 pages, and include a lot of history.  This is the only one I have read, so I can't speak for the others, but it was fast-paced and to the point.  It briefly covered the few days leading up the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and then the actual eruption and attempted evacuation.  There are illustrations to help break up the words, for those who need that.  This series is probably about a fourth grade reading level, maybe even late third grade.  It is scholastic, so the actually reading level should be on the back of the book.  I read a digital copy, so the information wasn't included.  Like I said, the book was a lot of fun and inspired me to do a little further research on the event.  That is exactly what the author hopes for.  Kids who are at all interested in historical events, or enjoy some good danger and action, this series would be perfect.  They all cover events that are known for the death and destruction factor, but focus on surviving that event.  I can say that I do in fact recommend this series.  Give it a try.  Happy reading!

Isla and the Happily Ever After

This is the third and final book in the series.  As far as series go, these books are barely tied together.  Each title has it's own character and own story.  The overlap is the couple from the first book are minor characters in the second book, and the couples from the first two books make an appearance in the third book.  It is lots of fun to have those characters visit though.

This third book follows Isla Martin as she embarks on her senior year of boarding school in Paris.  Things seem to be looking up when longtime crush, Josh, not only notices her, but might actually be interested in her.  All her dreams are coming true, until a mistake is made and the love birds are torn apart.  As Isla gets an inside look into Josh's life, she realizes that maybe she doesn't really know him at all.  On top of that, she starts to question his feelings for her.  She doesn't believe he really loves her.  Can she learn to trust herself and Josh before her happily ever after melts away?

After reading this book I really want to reread the first one (Anna and the French Kiss).  Josh is best friends with St. Clair, one of the main characters from the first book.  I don't remember Josh much from that book and now I want to reread it.  He is only a minor character, but he is in the group of friends that Anna makes.  Isla even makes a cameo in that book.  Now that I've gotten to know Josh better, I am curious about his character in the first book.  In this book he is all alone.  His friends all graduated the year before.  This book takes place the year after the first book.  I wish I could remember more, but it is a really good book so I don't mind rereading it someday.  It's a really good series and this was a fun ending.  All the main characters from the three books come together for a night.  It was a fun reunion.  The books are all worth a read.  As far as teen/young adult romance is concerned, Stephanie Perkins is one of those authors that takes it to the next level, in my opinion.  She writes interesting characters that are fun to get to know.  Give her books a try.  Happy reading!

Septimus Heap

A very cute kids series is Septimus Heap by Angie Sage.  The adventures follow a young boy named Septimus Heap.  He is the seventh son of a seventh son, and as such, he is destined to be one of the most powerful wizards of all time.  He is just a boy though, so he must take up an apprenticeship with the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, in order to be properly trained to someday take her place.  The books are filled with adventure and mishap.  The characters are a lot of fun and the world the author has created is rather enjoyable.  Septimus' family is rather entertaining.  His brothers are all very different.  His sister, Jenna, is a force to be reckoned with.  His best friend Beetle is always up for an adventure.  After raising seven kids, Sarah Heap is not to be messed with.  All the characters, good and bad, are fun.  The series is full of quirky characters and great adventure, not to mention a bit of magic, time travel, possession, dragons and danger.  It is very fun.  The books are all quite thick, but the content is appropriate for younger readers than Harry Potter.  I would recommend it for about 10 years old, but could be read to kids slightly younger.  If you like fantasy and want something a bit silly, yet well written and entertaining, give this series a try.  Happy reading!

Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct is the second book in the Naturals series.  It is perfect for fans of The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting.  I am absolutely loving this series.  This second installment (set to be released November 4, 2014) is just as good, maybe even better than the first one.  The Naturals are a group of teenagers with highly developed skills that help the FBI solve cold cases.  They keep getting dragged into active cases, which is what they prefer anyway.  The FBI agent in charge of them wants them far away from danger, but they can't help but get involved.

The characters include Cassie, a profiler who can get inside the mind of anybody.  Dean is also a profiler who developed his skill while being raised by one of the countries most notorious serial killers.  Michael is an emotion reader.  He can read even the slightest facial expression and know what anyone is feeling.  Lia is a human lie detector. A born liar herself, she can discern even the slightest falsehood in others.  Last but not least we have Sloane, a genius with a memory for facts and numbers and an eye for detail.

The kids all live in a house with Judd, a retired Marine, as their guardian.  Together as a team they are pretty much unstoppable.  The problem is they don't like to follow the rules, which often leads them into trouble and sometimes even danger.  They are a very interesting and fun team.  All of them have messed up childhoods, some of which we are still learning about.  This book involves a serial killer, as does the first book.  Despite specific instructions to stay far away from the case, the group can't help but get involved.  This case has Dean's psycho father written all over it.  They are forced to seek his help from his prison cell, and none of them will be the same once he is inside their heads.

This book is just awesome.  I love a good murder mystery/psychological thriller and this book hit the spot for sure.  I really enjoy the characters and can't wait to get to know them further.  I am loving this series!  The books are well written and well paced.  I just want to keep reading to see who the killer is and whether my guess is correct.  I guessed right in this one, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less.  I'm now experiencing the down side of reading an advanced copy of a book.  I have to wait even longer for the next one to come out.  I'm definitely glad I found this series.  It is well worth the wait.  I highly recommend hit.  Happy reading!

The Mortal Instruments

Most people have probably heard of this series, but if you haven't (or just haven't read it yet), here is my shout out to the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.  There are moments that will infuriate you, but over all the books are very good.  They are jam packed with action and danger.  The world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders that the author has created is very interesting.  It is set in 2008 in modern day New York (mostly).  The Shadowhunters (Nephilim) are a race of angel blessed people set to the task of protecting the world from demons.  They are warriors with special weapons and covered in runes that help enhance their natural abilities.  The main players are teenagers who live and train at the New York Institute, a Shadowhunter establishment.  Brother and sister Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, adopted brother Jace make up the three musketeers.  Enter mundane (ordinary human) Clary Fray.  She sees the trio slay a demon at a night club.  The only problem, mundanes can't see Shadowhunters.  They are glamoured to the naked eye.  She and her best friend Simon are thrown into the Shadow World, and their lives will never be the same.  Warlocks, Vampires, and Werewolves (the Downworlders) as well as the Fair Folk fill our the cast of characters.  The first three books (meant to be a trilogy) have an overall story arc that plays out at the end of book three.  The next three follow a continuing story arc with a newish big bad.  The books are well written, fast-paced, and full of excitement.  The characters are complex and far from perfect.  There is a wide variety of characters that make up the complex world expertly created by the author.  They are definitely worth reading.  If you are interested in them, the author wrote another trilogy set in the same world, only 100 or so years earlier called The Infernal Devices.  The two series tie together nicely in book six (City of Heavenly Fire), as well as set up her next series, The Dark Artifices, whose first installment is set to be released sometime next year.  If you are interested in trying one of her series, this one is the best.  Just a bit of advice, don't let any revelations in book one stop you from continuing the series.  I promise everything will be satisfactorily resolved in further volumes.  If you haven't read this series yet, give it a try.  Happy reading!

The Giver Quartet

It has been years since I started The Giver Quartet, but I finally finished it the other day.  After Messenger I though it was over, but then Lois Lowry added Son to the end.  It wrapped up the story quite nicely.  Questions that went unanswered in Messenger were flushed out more in Son.  It brought together characters from all three previous volumes.  This is a strange series because each book seems unrelated to the others until it is tied in at some point.  The first book, The Giver, is the best by far.  Jonas is a very interesting character.  Gathering Blue follows Kira and Messenger follows Matty.  All are tales of survival in a dystopian world.  Son pulls them together.  I wish I had reread The Giver before reading it though.  Actually, I wish I had reread all of them.  I didn't remember lots of stuff and probably would have enjoyed it even more if I remembered more.  Son follows Claire, the birth mother of Gabriel (the little boy from The Giver).  I really enjoyed how it tied all the books together.  This series is definitely different and may not appeal to all.  If I'm being totally honest, The Giver is the only one that is a must-read.  The other three aren't as good, but definitely worth reading.  This was my first foray into dystopian fiction.  As you may know, I am a huge fan of that genre.  The Giver was my gateway drug.  Even if that genre doesn't interest you, I think The Giver is a book everyone should read.  If you like it, continue the series.  I think it is a worthy education.  Happy reading!

Sinner

When I saw a follow-up book to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy was coming out, I was so excited.  I really liked that series, and Cole was a very interesting character.  In Sinner Cole and Isabel get their very own book.  The story takes place after the trilogy.  Isabel has moved with her mother to California.  Cole is ready to get his life back.  What he wants most is Isabel.  He accepts a Reality TV gig, following him as he records a new album, and heads to LA to win Isabel over.  She is less than thrilled with his appearance.  She doesn't know if she can trust him, and she doesn't want to let herself fall in love with him again.  The book alternates perspectives as we watch Isabel try to deal with Cole being back in her life and what that might mean for the future.  We watch Cole try to face his own demons.  His past is only a step behind and he has trouble not giving in to temptation.  Instead of drugs, he turns to the wolf, forcing changes to help himself cope.  His character is very interesting to follow.  His manic and addictive personality is quite entertaining.  I found myself constantly cheering him on, hoping he wouldn't succumb to his demons.  His relationship with Leon was the best.  I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great follow up to a series I was sad to see end.  Cole's dynamic personality definitely begged for more attention.  This book was perfect for that.  He is very complicated and deserved to be the main character of his own story.  I loved seeing him back as the famous rock star, dealing with what that meant for his new life and trying to reconcile with his past self.  This was an excellent self-discovery story.  He needed this and as a fan, so did I.  Anybody who is a Cole St. Clair fan, you will love this book.  If you haven't read the trilogy first, you will be a little lost though.  All four books are quite good, in my opinion.  Give them a try.  Happy reading!

The Iron Fey

For years I though about reading The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.  It wasn't until she started a new series, The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, that I finally gave it a try.  The author said the first four didn't have to be read before book five (aka book one in the new series).  That sounded like a good deal to me.  I really liked that fifth book and was instantly intrigued by the previous four.  Of course I hurried to read them, as well as the bridging novellas, before book six came out.  I found that I actually liked the original four better.  The bad thing was, by reading book five first, a few things were ruined for me.  The second series takes place twelve or so years later and follows Ethan Chase, the younger brother or the main character in the Iron Fey series.

The original series follows Meghan Chase as she heads into the Nevernever to rescue her four year old brother, Ethan, after he is kidnapped by faeries.  It isn't long that she learns she is part faerie herself, the half-human daughter to none other than Oberon himself.  The Summer princess makes friends and enemies along the way.  Her travel companions are the Summer prankster, Puck, and his best friend/worst enemy the youngest Winter prince, Ash.  Finding Ethan is not their only problem.  A new kingdom, made of iron, is rapidly growing.  The Nevernever is starting to die as the poisonous iron overtakes the land.  None of the faeries can stop it.  Meghan's human half makes her immune to the effects of iron, so it is up to her to try to stop the Iron King before all the Winter and Summer lands and faeries are dead.  Of course there is also romance.  Puck is in love with Meghan from the beginning, but it is the forbidden Ash she is drawn to.  He is cold, cunning and lethal, just like his mother, Mab, values.  Meghan catches glimpses of who he is under that mask.  The two can't help but fall in love.  The problem, their parents are mortal enemies and it is forbidden for Summer and Winter to be together.  Will they risk exile to be together or walk away?  You'll have to read to find out.

While there is romance, as in most young adult books, it is by no means the driving point of the story.  The life and death action and adventure will keep you reading.  If you are at all interested in the world of Faerie, I think you will enjoy these books.  The Iron kingdom is fascinating to me.  I think it was a brilliant idea to shake things up in Faerie.  I really enjoyed the characters, especially Ash, although Puck's antics are always entertaining.  The stories are well-written and well-paced.  I never got bored.  The first three books are more of a trilogy, following Meghan, while book four is about Ash.  Meghan is only in it for a little bit.  It feels like a bonus book to satisfy Ash fans, although it does tie into the overall story.  Like I said, they are quite enjoyable.  Give them a try.  Happy reading!

Hugless Douglas

I discovered Hugless Douglas a couple years ago merely by accident.  It was on a display and, at the time, I had a coworker named Doug.  It looked cute so I picked it up and read it.  I just loved it.  Douglas is a young bear who wakes up from hibernation in need of a hug.  He spend the day trying to find the perfect one.  He hugs rocks, trees, leaves, and various animals.  They are all too hard, too tall, too wrong.  All he wants is a hug, but he just can't find the right one.  A sympathetic rabbit takes him to look for the elusive hug he seeks.  At last they find another cave where someone is waking up, Douglas' mom.  She provides the perfect hug he so desperately needs.  The illustrations are adorable and the story is quite fun.  At one time or another we have all needed a hug.  This book reminds us how the right hug can make all the difference.  It is a really cute book.  Find it, read it, enjoy it.  Happy reading!

The Ascendance Trilogy

I recently read The Ascendance Trilogy, partly to see what the fuss was about.  A while back the first book was quite popular for awhile and I was curious.  I found that I rather enjoyed these books.  They got increasingly better as the story progressed through the three volumes.  In the False Prince a nobleman scours orphanages to find candidates he can train to act as the missing, presumed dead, young prince.  He chooses a few young boys that could pass for the prince and trains them up.  He will pick one to make an attempt at the throne, if he can convince the regents that he is Jaron.  In The Runaway King, Jaron's regents don't believe the threat to Carthya is real and are pushing to place a steward on the throne until Jaron comes of age.  To save his country, Jaron flees to confront and destroy the pirates that pose the biggest threat to his country.  In the Shadow Throne, all three neighboring kingdoms have banded together to wage war on Carthya and the young King.  King Vargan of Avenia wants to overthrown Jaron and set himself up as emperor of all the land.  The war seems impossible to win and the likelihood of survival slim.  This series is very fast-paced, full of action and adventure, suspense and intrigue, loyalty and friendship.  Jaron is quite the witty young man and proves to be the thorn in many a side.  He is a very smart, strong and fast thinking leader, proving more of an opponent than any gauge him to be.  The characters are very likable.  Jaron, Imogen, Ronan, Amarinda, Tobias, Mott, Harlow, to name a few.  It is definitely worth reading.  I found myself rather entertained, trying to keep up with Jaron and his antics.  Give them a try.  Happy reading!

The Kiss of Deception

The Kiss of Deception is one of those books that reminds me why I don't like reading advanced copies from the publishers.  When you read a book early, it is an even longer wait until the next one comes out.  I was first drawn to this title by its cover.  I think it is a beautiful cover.  Once I started reading the story, I was immediately sucked in.

On the day Princess Lia is set to marry an unknown prince from a foreign land, she decides to run for it instead.  The marriage was arranged by their fathers, and she has no interest in a marriage without love, especially to who she thinks is a stuffy, old papa's boy who didn't even care to meet her before the wedding.  She flees to a small town and instantly falls in love with life she finds there.  She finds work as a barmaid, and has no intention of ever looking back.  One day two young men walk into the bar and immediately catch her eye.  Both are attractive in their own way and both have their sights set on her.  One is none other than the prince she was to marry, come to check out the girl who jilted him.  The other is an assassin sent by a neighboring land to kill her.  Lia begins to form friendships with both boys, but soon discovers she is falling in love with one of them.  She doesn't realize the danger surrounding her until it is too late.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  Rafe and Kaden were fun to figure out.  It was pretty obvious to me early on which one's the prince and which one's the assassin, although the author doesn't come out and tell us until Lia begins to learn the truth of it.  She is a very strong and likable leading lady.  Her fire and independence makes it obvious early on that court life was never for her.  Duty is not something she bows to easily.  She is fierce when it comes to her brothers and friends.  I am really excited to get to know her more in the books to come.  I don't want to say too much about the boys so as not to give away their identities, but they are both likable and interesting in their own ways.  This book is well paced and full of intrigue.  There is an air of suspense that kept me reading.  I hate that it ended and now I have to wait until sometime next year for book two.  I really enjoyed the writing and am excited for the story to continue.  If you are looking for a good low fantasy book, give this a try.  Happy reading!

Tuesdays at the Castle

I was planning on waiting until I read the next two books in this series before writing about it, but I just couldn't wait.  I just finished Tuesdays at the Castle and loved it so much.  I wanted to share it immediately.  It was such a delight.  I kept being surprised by how much I was enjoying it, although I don't know why.  I have enjoyed all of Jessica's books that I have read so far.  She is a local author that I have gotten to know a little and I shouldn't be surprised by her talent.  Her personality comes right through her books.  This wonderful book is about a magical castle and the royal family who inhabits it.  When the King and Queen go to the Wizarding College to watch their oldest son graduate, their carriage is set upon by bandits.  They are presumed dead.  The three children (Rolf, Lilah, and Celie) they left at home have to use all their wits and bravery to defend the throne from an evil prince from another land who is set on taking over the kingdom.  Despite his wishes, it is the castle who chooses the king, and Castle Glower is not a fan of Prince Khelsh.  This magical tale is full of fun and adventure.  The children must fight for their very lives and band together with the castle to try to get rid of the unwanted residents.  I just loved the characters.  I can't wait to get to know them better in the next books.  Such a fun series so far.  I highly recommend this for anyone eight and up.  Happy reading!

The Violet Eden Chapters

I found The Violet Eden Chapters, a.k.a. the Embrace series, to be quite good.  The author created a world involving fallen angels (exiles of light and exiles of dark) and angel-made human warriors known as Grigori.  The two sides are in constant battle.  The exiles are strong, ambitious, and a tad crazy.  Most desire to rule the humans, and it is up to the Grigori to protect the human race.  Grigori are made when an angel imbues his essence upon a baby during its first few weeks of life.  Violet is one such baby.  On her seventeenth birthday, her world changes.  She learns of the hidden world surrounding her and the new powers growing inside her.  She feels betrayed by Lincoln, the man who has been training her (and who she has been falling in love with) for the last two years.  It turns out he is Grigori and knew all along that she is too.  He was training her to become his partner.  All Grigori have partners that can help heal them and fight side by side with them, the down side is they can never be together as a couple because it weakens them.  The books are filled with the whole will they won't they between Violet and Lincoln.  They are in love, but can't be together.  Then there is Phoenix (my favorite character in the series).  He is an exile, only different from the others.  He hasn't gone mad and is able to pass himself off as human when he wants to (it is because of who his parents are).  He also has his sights set on Violet.  The two have a complicated relationship.  Part of him loves her and part of him wants to destroy her.  His dual nature makes him the ultimate unpredictable foe.  Despite all he does, Violet repeatedly trusts him.  He is a very interesting character.  The love triangle is fun too.  You always know Violet is in love with Lincoln, but a part of her will always belong to Phoenix.  Outside the love story, it is a story of life and death, survival and annihilation, friendship and loyalty.  A war is brewing and Violet and her friends have to do all they can, including give their lives if need be to stop the exiles.  There is lots of action and danger, suspense and twists, betrayal and grief.  Each book will keep you on the edge of your seat.  They are all well written with interesting and action-packed plots.  I vastly enjoyed this series and highly recommend it.  Happy reading!

For Darkness Shows the Stars

For Darkness Shows the Stars will appeal to fans of Jane Austen.  It is a futuristic, dystopian retelling of Persuasion.  As far as everyone knows, the inhabitants on the two large islands they live on are the only survivors left in the world.  It is a couple generations since daring scientists/innovators tried to make themselves and all their followers into gods.  They replaced body parts with better working ones, tapped into the human brain to make it better, etc.  The result was catastrophic.  The Luddites (those who didn't embrace the technology), thought God punished them by Reducing them to little more than simple-minded people who couldn't take care of themselves.  It fell to the Luddites to care for and protect the Reduced.  In reality, the Reduced are now little more than slave labor to most Luddite lords.  A new generation (Children of the Reduced, or CORs) has been born unaffected by Reduction.  These Posts are starting to rebel against life on the estates, striking out to make lives of their own.

The story takes place on the North estate.  Eighteen year old Elliott North is left to make sure the farm and its inhabitants survive.  Her father is power hungry but has no sense of how to run a farm.  Her older sister doesn't want to have to get her hands dirty.  Elliott spends her days working the land and taking care of the Reduceds and Posts on her estate.  Her energy goes to convincing herself she didn't make a mistake four years earlier when she chose to stay on the farm instead of running off with Kai, the Post boy she grew up with and came to love.  One day the famous Cloud Fleet, a group of Post explorers, comes to rent out her grandfather's land in order to build a new ship for renowned captain Malakai Wentforth.  He turns out to be none other than her Kai, only he is very angry and hostile toward her.  The boy she knew is long gone, replaced by a man she almost doesn't recognize.  Can the two learn to be friends again, or did her decision to stay end all hope of any future?

For fans of Persuasion, you will know how the story goes, but it was still rather enjoyable.  I really liked Elliott.  She was a very strong and interesting character.  Between chapters there were letters from Elliott and Kai's youth that they had left for each other.  It was a lot of fun reading them and getting to know the younger versions of them.  It was a clever way of filling in back story while remaining in the present tense.  Baron North was a horrid individual.  I wanted to strangle him.  I hated seeing Elliott impotent under his reign.  There is a sequel I am very interested in reading.  I want to know what becomes of all the characters.  Even if you aren't a fan of dystopian, but are a Jane Austen fan, I think you will enjoy this story.  Happy reading!

The Kingkiller Chronicles

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss is a series that everybody should read.  I have never heard anybody tell me they didn't like these books, even when they aren't really fantasy fans.  This has often been considered the Harry Potter for adults.  Not so much because it is like the world of Harry Potter, but because it has such mass appeal.  However, the main character does spend a lot of time at school training to be a wizard.  It is more scientific/alchemical in ways then waving a wand though, and the school definitely has more of a university like academic setting/feeling than magical.  There are other parallels, but I will let you discover those on your own.

The characters are so well written that you can find yourself and your friends on the pages.  The story sucks you right in.  You'll never want it to end.  Fortunately, each book is over 700 pages long.  Unfortunately, it is only a trilogy and book three has no publication date yet.  So far both books have come out in the Spring.  If we're lucky maybe book three will hit stores in the Spring of 2016.  Here's hoping!  Plenty of people have grumbled about how much time passes between books.  The author has replied along the lines of, "Would you rather I do it right, or do it quick?"  Of course us fans want it both ways, but after the superb quality of each book I am willing to wait for a quality third.  In the meantime,  I've listened to both on audio and loved them just as much as the written versions.  They are done very well.

These books are packed with masterful storytelling, action, adventure, suspense, danger, wit, humor and much more.  If I remember correctly, the entire trilogy takes place over the course of three days.  Each book consists of one day of storytelling.  It begins with Chronicler arriving at the Waystone Inn, looking to see if the rumors are true.  The legendary Kvothe is said to be there and he wants to write his story.  After considerable cajoling, the innkeeper, Kote, agrees to tell his story.  The majority of the stories take place in the past, with interludes in the present day inn.  We, like Chronicler, get to be the audience.  It is a great story to behold.  I dare you not to get carried away.  I can't wait to find out how the story ends.  If you haven't discovered this series yet, today is the day.  These are books that you simply cannot miss out on.  Everyone needs to read these.  Patrick Rothfuss truly has a rare gift.  Happy reading!