Mortal Danger

I haven't been scared by a YA book in awhile, but this one had me putting it down after dark! So reader be warned. This is not for a younger or scaredy cat reader. Edith has been brutally bullied by her prep school classmates. So much so, that she has decided to end it all. She makes her way to a bridge where she plans to leave this mortal coil. Suddenly she is stopped by a hand on her shoulder. That hand belongs to Kian- breathtakingly beautiful Kian. He has an offer for her. She can step off the ledge and he will give her three wishes. The catch? She has to repay the wishes when the powers that be say it's time. She can't believe any of this is true, but Kian makes her believe. She signs on the dotted tattoo- and makes her first wish- to take out the Teflon crew at the school who had tormented her. She gets a makeover beyond makeovers and returns to school to exact her revenge. Do problems occur?- of course. Does she fall for Kian?- of course. Are there consequences to the wishes?- of course. Do people die?- of course. Do creepy things follow her around and do awful thing?  Oh my- of course. But Edith is smart and is determined to find away to save what is left of her family, friends and Kian. Will she be able to outsmart the evil and save the day- not sure. But man, what a tale she has to tell. I enjoyed this book, but it was very creepy and sort of gory in places. Revenge may seem sweet, but in actuality it is just as ugly as the original crime. Edie definitely has a conscience, so it makes her situation even more nerve wracking. If you are up for a great thrill ride and aren't afraid of what goes bump in the night (or in the mirror) than here's a book for you. Happy reading my friends and keep the lights on!!

Of Monsters and Madness

I am a sucker for a good Poe tale. This one caught my eye because the main character's name is Annabel Lee. You know "I was a child and she was a child in this kingdom by the sea"? Well Annabel has just lost her mother and is coming to live in Philadelphia with a father she doesn't know. Annabel is interested in becoming a doctor- scandalous for the times so she is excited to find out her father was once a doctor too. That is where the happy tale ends. Her father is cold and distant. Her Grand Pere is the only one she connects with besides her lovely maid Maddy. Then there is the mysterious assistant to her father named Allan Poe. Allan immediately catches Annabel's heart, unlike his surly and disturbing cousin Edgar Poe. Hmmm you say- Edgar and Allan are cousins? I'm not going to give away the twist, but thing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde if you will. Annabel faces one tragedy after another in her quest to fit in with her father and the strange surroundings in Philadelphia- where disturbing murders are taking place. Will the truth be stranger than fiction? This is a quick read filled with references to Poe! If you love the dark and strange, enter their world if you dare. Once upon a midnight dreary... Happy reading my friends!

Deep Blue

As my stack of books grows, my day job continues to cut into my reading. *Sigh*. Onwards, friends into the Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly, author of one of my all time favorites A Northern Light. In this tail, get it- tail- Serafina is about to complete her Dokimi ceremony and commit to a life with Prince Mahdi. She is the heir to the throne of Miromara an undersea kingdom. Oh, did I forget to mention, she is a mermaid? Sera isn't sure she is ready to rule, let alone get married to a boy she hasn't talked to in years. And the rumors about him are disturbing. He has an earring! He goes out shoaling! He hangs out in the Lagoon in Venice! All this will soon be irrelevant as her kingdom is attacked. Her mother is mortally wounded, her father is killed and she has to flee with her best friend Neela. As they escape the death riders, she and Neela realize they have been having the same dream and are being called by the mythical witches to come and help kill the evil Abbadon. If Abbadon is allowed to escape, all the seas and the creatures in it will be destroyed. Along they way they meet up with the other four mermaids who were in the dreams and they find their way to Baba Vraja, who knows the truth of the six girls' identities. Whew. Don't worry, there is a cute merman named Blu who helps Sera along the way, his identity is a mystery- but I have my suspicions. But this isn't a romance novel. It is about girl power- or in this case, mermaid power. The girls find that they are stronger together and only through teamwork will they be able to defeat the big bad. This one took a few pages to connect to. There is a whole new vocabulary to being under the sea. Once you get used to that, this is a roller coaster! Non- stop action with a cliffhanger ending. I predict many more tails - get it again? to come. So dive in to the Water Fire Saga with both fins and hang on to a passing Mako- it's a wild ride. Happy reading my friends!

Superhuman

If you love comic books, if you loved Steelheart or if you just love a fast paced action book where teens save the world, this one if for you! Humans have morphed and some have superhuman powers. Some are good and some are evil. And then there is Lance, who has no superhuman power but has a whip quick mind and can talk his way out of all the situations he gets himself into. Lance meets up with Abby, Roz and Thunder who have to figure out a way to stop the Helotry from resurrecting the Fifth King, an evil so great he will take over the world. A plague has been unleashed on all the adults and it takes down even the older superhumans. This leave the teenagers to try and stop the destruction that is about to happen. The teen superhumans use all they have in their arsenals to take down the group before the King is brought back, but they are too late. Now they must figure out how to save the world from the plague as well as stop an unstoppable force. Villains may change sides and the good guys may not always be purely good. This is one non-stop ride, there is no break in the action. The characters are interesting, their powers developing. The big bad is really big and really bad, but you kinda feel a little sorry for him, he may just need a hug. The lines are not cut and dried, much like in real life. I can't wit to read the next book in the series and see how our teen superhumans develop and what kind of trouble Lance gets himself into and out of next. Happy reading my friends! And Happy Derek Jeter Day! #farewellcaptain