Throne of Glass

If you asked me if I liked fantasy books, I would say no. But all evidence points to the fact that this isn't true. I just finished Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. It tells the tale of a teenage assassin, Celeana Sardothian. She is wasting away as a slave in the Endovier salt mines. One day the king's guard comes and retrieves her to compete in a competition to become the King's Assassin. If she wins, she will be granted her freedom. Celeana hates the king and wants to kill him, but as the competition becomes fierce, she finds herself willing to take the job. Of course she is joined by two men, Dorian, the King's son and Chaol, captain of the King's Guard. Both men find her irresistible for reasons they can't explain. Chaol keeps his distance, while Dorian dives in with both feet. Celeana is torn by her feelings and knows that whatever decision she makes will hurt someone. As the competition goes on, Champions are being found dead and dismembered as someone has released an ancient evil in the castle. Celeana thinks it may be her friend Nehemia, a princess, who is doing the evil to retaliate against the King and his slaughter of her people. Or it could be Duke Pennington who wears a mysterious ring and is manipulating members of the kingdom for his own gains. Celeana risks her life to find out who is behind the deaths and on the brink of death herself, her friends come to her rescue. This book is along the lines of The Demon King and Bitterblue, two of my favorites. Celeana is a spunky assassin who also loves pretty dresses and parties. She longs for freedom above all else and knows she may have two do terrible things to get it. Dorian and Chaol are great characters, both who would be worthy of her attention. I look forward to many more books in this series. So ask me again if I like fantasy books and I think the answer has to be YES! The Raven Boys finally arrived and I look forward to starting that next. Happy reading my friends.

Girl of Nightmares

I read the first book Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake over the summer. It was a great read and one of my favorite summer books. Part two finds Cas in despair over what has happened to Anna, a malevolent ghost turned savior, when she pulled the Obeahman out of this world. He is afraid she is suffering, and as he loves her, he is determined to bring her back. Thomas and Carmel, his best friends, are willing to help him and his father's friend Gideon is pulled into the mix. Cas is willing to die to save her and his family is trying to convince him otherwise. Even when everyone tells him it is impossible to save her, he never gives up, risking his life for hers. In his quest to find a way to save her, he winds up in London to take on the Order of the Biodag Dubh, who want to take his weapon from him. He meets Jestine who is to be his replacement. And he goes to the edge of death to try and rescue Anna from Hell. Cas is a great character who is dedicated to saving those he loves. His friends risk death to help him on his quest. And even his "enemy" Jestine, isn't all she seems. Cas winds up having to decide what is best for Anna, even if it means heartbreak for him. I really enjoyed this sequel and it's quirky characters. It's not your typical ghost story. I recommend this to even the most reluctant readers. Still waiting for my new box of books, but don't worry, I have plenty to keep me reading until it arrives. happy reading my friend!

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Noa is a hacker. When she wakes up on an operating table in an old building, she realizes someone has kidnapped her. In her daring escape, she makes her way to her safe house. Noa is an orphan and has been surviving on her own for years. Peter is the son of rich parents. He has everything he wants, car, girlfriend, easy access to money. He is also a hacker. When he stumbles on some secret files in his father's desk, he brings a secret organization to his door. As Noa and Peter's paths cross, they realize they are both involved in some dreadful experiment. A corporation has been kidnapping kids and using their parts to find a cure for a mysterious disease called Pema that is killing the youth population. Noa finds out that she is the key to the cure. As Peter tries to help her, they find themselves in more and more trouble with nowhere to turn. Where do you hide when your every move is tracked? If you can't trust the FBI to help, who can you trust? A fellow orphan decides to help Noa escape, but she has to leave Peter behind to get away. How will two teenagers bring down a multi million dollar corporation to save the street kids? I'm sure we will find out in the sequels to come. This was a fast paced story with many ethical dilemmas. Do you sacrifice a few to save many? There is something for everyone in this one, action, romance, chase scenes, and an evil faceless enemy. Give it a read. In the meantime, I am expecting a box of fun today- Raven Boys, Seconds Away and other new books. Where will I start and how will my papers get graded. I'll think about that tomorrow- for now, happy reading my friends

Dust and Decay

Heartbroken. Just sayin'. I just finished Dust and Decay, the sequel to Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry. A zombie book with a heart. So we pick up with our gang of friends, Benny, Nix, Chong, Lilah and Tom setting out to find the jet they saw in the first book. Things go wrong from the start, going from bad to devastating. With the death of Charlie Matthias, even more evil bounty hunters join up to take his place. And they are after Tom and his brother Benny. With prices on their heads, our heroes find themselves right back in the place they dread- the reinvented Gameland. Chong had been captured and the gang set out to save him. They each find their way there, not knowing where the others are. When Tom's fellow bounty hunters show up to help, he realizes what he means to everyone and it is not what he expects. With a showdown with Preacher Jack and White Bear in the making, the kids must dig deep to remember all the lessons Tom has taught them in order to stay alive. This sequel is not so much about zombies as it is about the evil people can perpetrate against each other when the law is no longer clear. What makes some people do what is right even when no one is in charge? What would cause you to risk your life to save others? And how do you go on when the one person holding you together is no longer there? I'm not going to give aways some of the twists, I will only say, be prepared to shed some tears as not all our heroes make it out of this one. "Such a man was the most dangerous of all opponents- one who fights to preserve love rather than perpetuate hate" Amen. And Happy reading my friends.

UnWholly

Where do you begin to change the world? Good question, Neal Shusterman. Anyone who really knows me, knows I have a huge crush on this amazing author. I once had the pleasure to sit at a breakfast table with him at a conference. He's a very kind and soft spoken man. Where he came up with this idea for his series is beyond me, but it has kept me entertained for two books now. If you haven't read book one- Unwind, start there. It is one of those books that keeps getting stolen from my book shelves. It is the story of a society where a parent can decide to 'unwind' their children for whatever reason. Unwinding is when all your parts are donated to others. Yes, you are alive through the unwinding process- one of the creepiest scenes I have ever read. Meet Connor- a boy whose parents have decided is irredeemable. Risa- a brilliant pianist whose foster parents decide the mistake she made at her recital was unforgiveable. Lev- a tithe, who has know his whole life he is destined to be donated to the unwinding process- and what an honor. UnWholly continues with these characters. Connor and Risa are at the Graveyard (an old airplane base) trying to keep the AWOLs alive. It is getting harder and harder to survive and the pressure is getting to Connor. Risa, in a wheelchair, sacrifices herself to save another child and is set on a horrifying path. Lev is trying to find his way back to Connor in order to save the world. And meet the newest member to this cast- Cam, who is made COMPLETELY from unwinds. He wants Risa. Our newest villain is Starkey, a storked baby, who has a GIGANTIC chip on his shoulder. Shusterman has woven a thrilling path, leaving these characters with huge choices to make. I loved this book, it raises so many ethical questions. It was even better because I wasn't expecting a sequel, let alone a trilogy. I love a book that makes you think while it is entertaining you and I look forward to the conclusion of this trilogy. If you find you like it, check out his other books, you won't be disappointed. Happy reading my friends!

Every day

I have so enjoyed so many of David Levithan's books. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Will Grayson, Will Grayson and most especially Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. I was happy to see a new book from him with such an interesting premise. A wakes up every day in a different body. He stays in that body for just one day. Sometimes A's a boy and sometimes a girl. Sometimes A is trapped in terrible situations, sometimes he is in a seemingly perfect life. One day he meets Rhiannon, the girlfriend of a boy who's body his is in. A falls in love and starts to find a way to get back to her every day. When he tells her about his situation, Rhiannon believes him and they struggle to make it work. Can she love him no matter what his outside looks like that day? Can she love him when he is in a female body? Can she love him when she can never wake up in the morning with him? And can A give up what he wants the most to give her what she needs the most? This book was fantastic on so many levels. To walk a mile in someone else's shoes is a way to realize that we are all human and are facing things in our lives that others may not understand. A respects all the bodies he has occupied, but when he finds out there is a way to stay in one body for longer, he struggles with the knowledge that he would be stealing someone else's life. This book really broke my heart in so many ways, but good ways. The selflessness that A shows is admirable and I want him/her to have a chance for a life of his/her own. (yes, I know this is fiction) But isn't that what makes an author so great- to bring characters to life that you want to believe are really out there? In a perfect ending, A and Rhiannon would ride off into the sunset together, but life rarely works out that way. This one will stay with me for a while. I hope you give it a try and that it will change the way you look at the people you encounter as you go about your day. Happy reading my friends!

Michael Vey- Rise of the Elgen

Well that was fast. I got a new box of books and a three day weekend- you do the math. Since I know one of my students is anxiously awaiting this book, I thought I would read it first. Earlier this summer I read the first Michael Vey book and loved it. I read it to my class in their reading minute and they loved it. So here is part two. Michael and the Electroclan have just escaped the academy and are on a mission to save Michael's mom. She has been taken to Peru to a secure facility run by the evil Dr. Hatch. He has created a species of electrified rats that he hope to power the world with. Then he plans to blackmail the world to secure electricity. He has his minions at his side as he tries to capture the escaped Glows. Someone is trying to help Michael and his clan, but they can't let anyone know they are helping and often lead Michael into traps. Michael feels the weight of the world on his shoulders as he tries to keep his friends out of harms way while saving the only family he has left. These are some fast paced books that have something for everyone, heroic acts, a love triangle, an evil Dr. and a group of dedicated friends. Oh and lots of electricity! It's fun to see that the nerdy Ostin is often the one saving the day with his mind rather than a power. But as he says- the brain is power. I highly recommend this series to the most reluctant readers, it has short chapters filled with non stop action. And the descriptions of the rats eating whatever is put in their food chute...eww. Enough said- get out there and read something my friends! Happy reading!

Everneath

Well, it's been a while my friends. School started and it has really taken a toll on my reading time. I mean really- a month between books, what the heck. I'm not completely sure it is just because of work. The book I have been reading, Everneath by Brodi Ashton, didn't make me want to spend my few spare moments reading. It's not because it wasn't enjoyable, I did wind up liking it. It was because I didn't think I could take one more supernatural book where the hero and heroine have to fight to be together. But if I don't get over that, then I think my reading choices will be limited. Lol. This is the story of Nikki and Jack. Nikki has disappeared without a trace and Jack is distraught. Nikki has gone to the Everneath with Cole who spends a hundred years feeding off her emotions. She went willingly after a misunderstanding with Jack. When she survives the Feed, she comes back to say goodbye to everyone she loves before she is dragged to the Tunnels where she will have to stay forever. Cole, however, wants her to become an Everliving and be his queen. She isn't willing to feed off others and fights Cole the entire way, preferring death to that kind of life. As her time on the surface dwindles down, she and Jack try and figure out a way to defeat the inevitable. They rekindle their love, while trying to keep Cole at bay. When Nikki realizes how she can escape her fate, she must decide if she is willing to sacrifice her greatest love to save herself. This is a play on the Persephone myth and it contains a good deal of other mythology as well. Jack is a great hero and Cole is a dastardly villain. The book ends with a twist and leave plenty of room for the inevitable sequel. I will most certainly have to read it to find out what happens next. In the meantime, as one of my students informed me- the sequel to Michael Vey is out and calling my name. Sorry to have been gone so long, but it's good to be back. Happy reading my friends and here is to a successful, book filled school year!