Monument 14 Savage Drift

What a satisfying conclusion to a great series! Dean and his rag tag group of survivors are safely away in Canada. They have survived a chemical disaster and are safely encamped and looking to find their parents. All but one. Josie, who sacrificed herself to save the group, is being held in Missouri at an interment camp for O victims. These are the people with O blood types who react in viciously violently ways when exposed to the chemical.  When the group finds out she is alive, they plan a way to free her.  Niko, Jake and a very pregnant Astrid set out to reach Josie. This is easier said than done. The government wants to get their hands on Astrid to do testing on her unborn baby and the kids don't know who they can trust. Josie is having problems of her own in the camp. She has gotten on the bad side of the thugs running the camp and has to do all she can to keep her little group together and safe. All the groups converge in one place as they each face great peril in getting back to each other. This series is face paced, adventurous and heart breaking. What would you do if you were trapped with strangers who become family? Would you risk your life to save them even if it took you farther away from reuniting your own family? I hear they are making a movie of this series- can't wait to see how that turns out. But for now my readers, pick up this series and put on your seatbelts- it's a wild ride. Happy reading my friends!

Darkangel

There is a story of a Darkangel who swoops into a village and takes a maiden for his bride. Once he reaches fourteen maidens, he will be a full vampire and he and his brothers will inherit the earth. Aeriel is just a servant girl. When her master's daughter is taken by the Darkangel, Aeriel is the only one who seeks to find her. She goes looking for the Darkangel to get her friend back, only to be taken by him to be the servant to his 13 wives. These wives have been drained of all life and live like wraiths. Along with the wraiths, there live some gargoyles and a magical dwarf. Aeriel must go on a quest to find a way to kill the Darkangel before his next wife is claimed. It will be a treacherous journey filled with magical creatures. When the time comes to kill the Darkangel, will Aeriel be able to go through with it? Does the creature have any good left in him? If I was truthful, I didn't really care for this story. I felt no connection to the villain, so I couldn't see what Aeriel sees in him. It was not the vampire/angel tale I was expecting. So, read if you will, but I can't muster much enthusiasm for this one. Happy reading my friends and happy December!

Unmade

The Lynburn Legacy is one of my favorite recent series. It is the story of a sleepy little town in England called Sorry-in-the-Vale. It is the home to the magical sorcerer family the Lynburns. But more importantly, the home of Kami Glass, source to the sorcerers. Think of Nancy Drew and put her in modern times with a more sarcastic wit and you have an idea of what Kami is like. In book three of the series Kami is learning to deal with her new link to Ash, the younger brother to her long time link Jared. Ash and Kami are mourning the loss of Jared when he saved Kami's younger brother from the evil Rob Lynburn. Lo and behold, Jared proves to be alive and Kami makes it her mission to rescue him. If you know anything about Kami, you know that she usually gets what she wants. Except for Jared's heart. As Rob plans total destruction for the town he rules over, Kami and the gang must find a way to stop him. She is backed up by Angela, Rusty and Holly, her intrepid friends, as well as Ash and Jared. Her father must also step in when his sons Ten and Tomo are threatened yet again by the sorcerers. Loved ones are lost, new friends are made and a love triangle comes to it's fitting conclusion as this story takes us to the end. It is filled with hilarious wit, terrifying evil, unselfish sacrifice and most of all the power of what a group of friends can do in love rather than in hate. Start at the beginning with Unspoken. You can thank me with your mind later. Enjoy and Happy reading my friends.

Found

So I have mentioned before that I LOVE Harlan Coben. My favorite adult author writing YA is a dream come true. Especially since lately it is the only place I can get my Myron Bolitar fix (come on Coben, write me a Myron/Win book!!) This is the third book in the Mickey Bolitar series that focuses on Myron's nephew Mickey. Mickey is a 6 foot 4 inch basketball star who is searching for his father who everyone believes is dead. The book picks up with Spoon paralyzed in the hospital after taking a bullet in the groups last adventure. Mickey is feeling great amounts of guilt and is trying to come to terms with Spoon's condition. Along with Ema, Mickey must figure out if his father is alive, what Troy (the villain of the tale) is up to, what the Bat Lady knows, how to get along with his teammates and find a way to live in his uncle's house peacefully. (get over it Mickey, Myron is the greatest!) Mickey finds himself in one predicament after the next and has to use his detective skills to solve many problems in this story. Where did Buck go? Is Troy telling the truth about steriod use? Is he really falling for Ema? Can he make the team like him? Where is Luther and why does he want to hurt Mickey's dad? Will Spoon get better? Will he and Rachel hook up? Yikes, that's a lot for a teen to handle, but Mickey does it with (mostly) style and a sarcastic wit. Much like his uncle. (again Myron rules) So if you love a quick paced, adventurous tale laced with history, this may be the series for you. From one New Jersey native to another- love you Harlan Coben! Thanksgiving is upon us so have a great one! And happy reading my friends.

The Young Elites

I was so looking forward to Marie Lu's next venture after the Legend series. This series is about a group of malfettos, children who have changed in supernatural ways after a fever sweeps through their land. These children are shunned and despised, often hunted down by the King's Inquisitors and killed. Adelina is one of these Young Elites. She has extreme darkness inside of her that she can unleash at will. She takes great pleasure in doing such things. Her family has mistreated her and their is no one she can trust. That is until the Elites find and save her from being burned at the stake. Enzo is their leader and he can command fire. Raffaele can sense the emotions of people and bend them to his will. Windwalker can control the wind. And so on. They take Adelina in, against their better judgement as they can tell her darkness will be hard to control. They have a plan to overthrow the King and take command of the city. Teren, the lead Inquisitor is the only thing standing in their way. He, of course, has a secret of his own. Adelina is not a likeable character as of yet. She is too drawn to the dark and does not trust anyone. Her lack of trust leads to the death of several Elites. She wants power and respect, but does not know how to go about doing that without causing terrible damage. So, like I said, I'm not sure if I'm on her side yet. I will say the epilogue was the most intriguing part of the book. It definitely made me interested in continuing to read. And maybe all who have died are not dead for good. That's what I love about books, you never know what is going to happen next and they don't  have to follow the rules of our world. Happy reading my friends! And Happy Thanksgiving.

Shadow and Bone

I must admit, I have seen this book on bookstore shelves for a while and ignored it. Why? Who can remember. Then there comes the chance that Leigh Bardugo may come and speak at our school due to a strange set of circumstances-( one of my all time favorite days at work) so I thought I best read her book to be prepared to fawn at her feet. And fawn I will. This story of two orphans who only have each other who grow up to be the only hope of their country was wonderful. It has everything I love in a book. A dashing hero. A clever heroine who doesn't know her own strength. A dastardly villain who you may like in the beginning until he does something- well- dastardly. An alternate time period and setting with natural perils everywhere. Oh, and a little romance. Alina and Mal have grown up thinking they are nothing- just two orphans making their way through a tricky world. When they find themselves traveling through the Fold, Alina finds herself saving Mal from the Volcra by unleashing some crazy power she doesn't know she has. This sets her on a path to the Darkling- the most powerful man in the land and away from Mal, her only friend. Alina feels like Mal has deserted her and she can't understand why. As she is drawn to the Darkling's charm, she finds herself wondering if she could see a life without Mal by the Darkling's side. Then it all goes awry as all good adventures do. Alina runs for her life and lo and behold, who finds her but- you guessed it- Mal. What will become of them when the Darkling tracks them down? Will Alina be powerful enough to stand up to him? Stay tuned for the sequel, Siege and Storm, which unfortunately, I don't own yet. Don't worry, I will soon. But until then it's November and the weather is finally turned bearable, so it's warm drinks and cozy blankets on chilly weekends. Happy reading my friends!