Days of Blood and Starlight

I read a lot of books. That being said, one of my favorites of last year (?) was Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. A tale of forbidden love between angel and chimaera. This is the sequel. Karou- the chimaera, is recovering from the news that all she loves has been killed by Akiva- the angel, and the love of her life. Akiva thinks Karou is dead and he doesn't know if he wants to go on in a world without her, his soulmate. They are both devastated by their losses. They miss each other. They both live their lives for each other. Karou has become the resurrectionist for her people. She is creating an army of chimaera who are powerful enough to take on the Seraphim. Akiva is trying to fulfill his duty as a Misbegotten, while secretly helping Karou's people who are being hunted and killed. The war is in full force and the old loves find themselves doing all they can to prevent it from destroying their people. Akiva's father is set on destroying the chimaera. Karou's leader- Thiago, the White Wolf- is set on destroying the Seraphim. Karou cannot understand the point of all the destruction with no solution in sight. But she has such intense feelings of rage at what was done to her beloved father Brimstone, that she can't always see that Akiva is still looking out for her and her people. As each takes action in their own worlds, they face devastating losses and must decide if they can put the past behind them to save what is left of the future of their races. This book was wonderful. It is so different from anything else I have read. These characters are so amazingly rendered that you almost believe they are somewhere in the world, in that little corner of the Kasbah. I look forward with great anticipation for the next book, and it will take a while to get these characters out of my head. I wish that Laini Taylor would publish Karous' sketchbooks so I can see these characters in color. I'm curious if my imagination is a match. Well, this glorious week off is now over. It's back to work for 4 weeks until Christmas. Han, Raisa, Patch, Nora, Ky and Xander, Saba and Jack and Norah and Bram all await me. I can't wait to see what they have been up to. Until then, happy reading my friends!

Flesh and Bone

Oh, John Maberry. I am not happy with you and your dreadful books. You broke my heart in the last one and yet I came back for number 3. What little heart I had left is now in pieces. I had to see how the gang was holding up after Tom's warrior death. Not well at all. As Benny, Nix and their friends Lilah and Chong make their way farther into the Ruin, they encounter a whole new level of crazy. What I love about these books is that the zombies are not the most evil creatures in the story, the humans are. The new batch of evil is the Night Church, led by Saint John- a psychopathic serial killer. He leads a bunch of Reapers, who roam the Ruin leading people to darkness. You see, their mission is to wipe all humans off the face of the earth. As Benny and his group encounter this cult, they are separated and each find a new character to help them on their quest. Their new destination is Sanctuary, a place where they are trying to cure the plague and help the sick. Its location is quite clever, and I'll let you discover that for yourselves dear friends. Along the way, our band of plucky zombie hunters have to deal with their overwhelming grief for all they have lost. I love that Tom's voice guides them all when they need to be 'Warrior Smart'. The kids find a jet filled with research that may save the world. But it may not be in time to save one of their own. While these books are about a zombie apocalypse, they are also about so much more. This one questions how we deal with grief, how much love can guide us to make impossible choices and how even in the midst of a world ending, there is still hope. I know I will pick up the next book as soon as it comes out because the crazies are heading for Benny's home town, but I will do it with a heavy heart and the hopes that Maberry will stop killing the ones I love. Until then, be warrior smart my friends and have a Happy Thanksgiving! Happy reading my friends.

Enchanted

Once upon a time, a teacher was on vacation with a pile of books, and she lived happily ever after! If you like fairy tales, have I got a book for you! Enchanted by Alethea Kontis takes every fairy tale you can imagine, and twists them into a fairy tale of their own. Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. She loves nothing more that to tell stories, one problem though, whatever she writes comes true. So she sticks to things that have already happened. One day in the woods, she meets a frog, who says hello. She starts a friendship with this frog named Grumble and finds herself in love with him in no time. Little does she know, you guessed it, he is Prince Rumbold, an enemy of her family. When, unbeknownst to her, she turns him back with her kiss, he is faced with the dilemma of telling her who he really is. So he throws a couple of balls, they meet, they fall in love, and still he doesn't tell her who he is. Drama ensues. A chase occurs, all are reunited. The end.  This story has fairy godmothers, a beanstalk, a lost slipper, a magic spinning wheel and many more familiar tales. There's even a pirate queen. I really enjoyed the way they were all weaved together into quite a cloth of gold. This book has a great message "He could not change the man he had been, but these hands would make him the man he could be." As the Prince tries to win Sunday back, he must become someone worthy of her. Tear. Well, that's two girly books in a row, so it's off to the Rot and Ruin for me to check on Benny Imura and his friends as they deal with the loss of Tom in Flesh and Bone, book three of Jonathan Maberry's amazing zombie series. In the meantime, may you all have a happily ever after. Happy reading my friends.

The Selection

Imagine if you will, the tv show The Bachelor. Yes, the one where a bunch of girls go on tv to find "true love". Cynic that I am, I refuse to watch those shows. Well, much to my surprise, I totally loved this novel with that exact concept. 35 girls vying to win the heart of the Prince and become the Princess of Illea. When there is a Prince that needs a bride, they must choose from one of their subjects. Girls may enter "The Selection" in which one girl is chosen from each region. America does not want anything to do with this. She is in love with a boy in the caste below her and has every intention of marrying him. Aspen does not want her to have to struggle and fight for survival with him and insists she enters the selection for the good of her and her family. See, the girls in the 'selection' get all sorts of perks, from clothes to food to a change in caste status. Her family is desperate for her to go and when Aspen breaks her heart, she reluctantly agrees, thinking she won't have a chance. Of course, she is selected and finds herself in the palace and face to face with Prince Maxon, who is nothing like she imagines he will be. They become friends and as the process continues with rebels attacking the castle and Aspen showing up as a guard, America and her feelings get a bit confused. Does she still love Aspen or is she starting to have real feelings for Maxon? Of course there are the other contestants, evil, conniving Celeste and lovely Malloree. But the Prince only has eyes for America. As America finds herself one of the six Elite remaining competitors, she has to figure out where her heart lies. I'm sure this will all be resolved at some point in a sequel as we are left hanging at the end. I totally enjoyed this book and it's lack of supernatural elements. I know that it will find an audience in my classroom as well as in the YA world. Good fun Kiera Cass, I look forward to the next book. Until then, Happy reading my friends!

Carnival of Souls

Daimons and witches are mortal enemies. What happens when their worlds get mixed up and no one really knows who they are? Mallory knows her father Adam is a witch. What she doesn't know is that she is a daimon that he stole from her true father and hid in the human world. Aya is a half-witch, half-daimon. If she is found out, she will be killed in The City, where daimons rule and witches drool. J/K. Enter Kaleb, a cur daimon, the lowest of the low. He is trying to fight his way out of his caste and into the ruling caste. They are all fighting to win a place on the ruling council, and the fights are usually to the death. When Aya and Kaleb team up, they each have ulterior motives that can get them killed. Of course, Kaleb falls for Mallory, who has been raised to hate daimons, and Aya has killed the one she loves to stop from having to marry him and have his babies. This book is a carnival. Melissa Marr has created a world where you never really know who is behind the mask. It has such lush imagery, you can see yourself walking the carnival at night with all the masked creatures waiting to make you an offer you can't refuse. But who to trust? When Mallory's father goes missing, she must rely on those she was trained to hate to help her find him. All the characters have much to lose and everything to gain if only they play their cards right. So, was there a happy ending you ask? Stay tuned for the rest of the series- sorry!! Book one down as my week of Thanksgiving break starts. Rainy day, stack of books, and very few papers to grade- looks like it will be a good one. Happy reading my friends!

Defiance

Rachel and Logan grew up together. Logan was Rachel's father's apprentice. Rachel declared her love for him, only to be rejected. The lived in an uneasy silence for the next couple of years. When Rachel's father, Jared, goes missing in the Wasteland and Logan is appointed Rachel's protecter, Rachel decides to risk it all to go and find her father. She captures the attention of the evil Commander who is in charge of her city and he thinks she knows something he wants. His plan destroys all that Rachel loves and sets her out on a mission of revenge. As she searches for her father and the missing package she must bring back to the Commander, she meets others in the Wasteland that may be able to help her on the quest. Logan, meanwhile, escapes the dungeon and sets out to save Rachel from the tracker sent to kill her. This book is non stop action from page one. Rachel is no damsel in distress, but her hot temper seems to get her into trouble around every turn. Logan is an inventor who likes to think his way out of trouble. Together, they are the hope for Baalboden and a way to control the Cursed One who terrorizes the city at the Commander's will. There is action, adventure, romance and loss in this tale of defiance and what it means to protect those you love. As always, this is part one and a cliffhanger is in place. But you could be almost satisfied with the ending if you choose to go no further. That, however, is not my style, so I will be looking forward to seeing if the loose ends are tied up and a happy ending is secured. Happy reading my friends!

Seconds Away

I am not impartial when it comes to Harlan Coben books. He is my favorite adult author. He is from my home state of New Jersey, he writes about my two favorite characters, Myron and Win and he has a great sense of humor on Twitter. Oh, and he also answers emails. That being said, when he started writing for the YA audience, I was thrilled. His first novel, Shelter, was about Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew. It was filled with action, suspense and a surprise twist of history. This one picks up seconds away from the first, hence the title. Mickey and his friends are thrown into another mystery when one of their own is shot. Mickey is determined to figure out who her shooter is. Ema and Spoon help him on his quest and one is seemingly down for the count (don't be cruel, Harlan! ) As always, Myron is there to back up Mickey and Mickey is getting a feel that Myron isn't just a sports agent. Oh, and Win makes an appearance, albeit an invisible one in this book. Yay. Mixed in the intrigue is the pursuit of making the basketball team and what it means to be an elite athlete. While Mickey keeps getting himself and his friends into dangerous situations, he seems to be getting closer to the uncle he despises. Harlan has mixed some of his adult series into this book as a nod to his adult readers- I think. This sequel screams for another as nothing is really solved and there's a casket to unbury. So while I await another Myron Bolitar book, I will happily recommend the junior version to tide any fans over. As for the young readers looking for a book filled with action and intrigue, this one's for you. It is a nice change of pace from the zombie/vampire/supernatural fare that is so prevalent these days. So enjoy my friends and pick up this great series. Coben is the Boss when it comes to telling a good story. Happy reading my friends!

Tilt

My father lives in Carson City, so the novels of Ellen Hopkins are especially interesting to me. She mentions places I've been or heard about and I keep hoping to run into her sometime when I am up there. If you have never read one of her books, be warned, they are not for the young. She deals with serious teenage problems and does not shy away from graphic detail. So of course, my students love them (the ones on my shelves, anyway) Tilt is the story of three teenagers, Mikki- who finds herself pregnant. Harley- a girl trying to figure out how to fit in. And Shane- a gay teenager finding first love. Of course these are just the three main characters whose stories are told in free verse poetry. There are a plethora of other fascinating characters that inhabit this world. She has also include black pages that give the perspective of other characters. While the subject matter includes sex, drugs, rape and unexpected pregnancy, one thing is certain, in the world of Ellen Hopkins, there are always consequences for your actions. Nothing is glamourized and there isn't always a happy ending. I think that is why teens can really relate to these books. She has a way of weaving all the characters stories together and the writing is lovely. This is a companion novel to an adult novel called Triangles, which I haven't read but plan to. These books are a window into the world of todays teenager and an eye-opening look at the reality that certain choices will bring you. So here's to one day bumping into Ellen Hopkins in Carson City and happy reading my friends.

The Raven Boys

I am in shock that it has been a month since I finished a book. My job is really getting in the way of my reading. I have stacks and stacks of books waiting to be read and more coming on the horizon. I had the chance to see two great authors- David Levithan and Rachel Cohn- speak. I've graded masses of papers and watched hours of mindless tv. Today was the day I decided I had to finish the newest book by Maggie Stiefvater. I don't know what took so long. She wrote my all time favorite YA book- The Scorpio Races and I was so looking forward to reading this one. It tells the story of four boys who go to an exclusive boarding school. They are best friends led by the enigmatic Gansey. They are looking for the Ley line so they can awaken the king Glendower and get granted a wish. They meet up with Blue, who comes from a family of psychics who have always predicted she would kill her true love with a kiss. As she waits on the Corpse road to see who will die in the next year, she encounters the ghost of Gansey. When he arrives in the flesh at her house for a reading, she becomes entangled in the Raven Boys quest for the king. Wow, that sounded really complicated. This book is filled with interesting characters, Ronan- the hot headed roommate who drops a bomb on the last page. Noah- the rumpled roommate who is keeping a secret of his own. Adam- the boy trying to escape his upbringing to fit into the ultra elite world of Aglionby Academy. And the women in Blue's life, her mother, Maura, Calla and Persephone , women with the power to see things. As the plot carries along, each plays a part in the quest for Glendower. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next two. Will it know The Scorpio Races out of the top spot- not quite, but it will keep me coming back for more. Happy reading my friends! It's good to be back.